Method and apparatus for shape forming endovascular graft material
First Claim
1. A mold for the manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof which has at least one inflatable channel or cuff, comprising:
- a plurality of mold body portions configured to mate with at least one of the other mold body portions to produce an assembled mold having a main cavity portion with an inside surface contour that matches an outside surface contour of the endovascular graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state.
14 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and devices for molding a desired configuration into an endovascular graft section that is made of a plurality of layers of fusible material. Layers of fusible material are disposed on a shape forming mandrel with seams in the layers that may be configured to produce inflatable channels. The graft section and shape forming mandrel can be placed in a mold which constrains an outer layer or layers of fusible material while the inflatable channels are being expanded and the fusible material of the graft section fixed. In some embodiments, the fusible material of the graft section may be fixed by a sintering process.
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Citations
78 Claims
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1. A mold for the manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof which has at least one inflatable channel or cuff, comprising:
a plurality of mold body portions configured to mate with at least one of the other mold body portions to produce an assembled mold having a main cavity portion with an inside surface contour that matches an outside surface contour of the endovascular graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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4. The mold of claim I further comprising at least one longitudinal channel cavity that has an inside surface contour that corresponds to an outside surface contour of an inflatable longitudinal channel of the graft section in an expanded state.
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15. A mold for manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof which has at least one inflatable channel or cuff, comprising:
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a first mold body portion having a main cavity portion with an inside surface contour that is configured to correspond to an outside surface contour of the graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state; and
a second mold body portion configured to mate with the first mold body portion having a main cavity portion with an inside surface contour that is configured to correspond to an outside surface contour of the graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A pressure line for use in the manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof, comprising:
an elongate conduit having an input end, an output end and a permeable section that has a permeability gradient which increases with distance from the input end. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A mandrel for shape forming an endovascular graft, or section thereof, comprising:
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a middle section;
a first end section with at least a portion that has a larger outer transverse dimension than an outer transverse dimension of the middle section and which is removably secured to a first end of the middle section; and
a second end section disposed at a second end of the middle section with at least a portion that has a larger outer transverse dimension than an outer transverse dimension of the middle section. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. An assembly for manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof which has at least one inflatable cuff or channel on the graft section, comprising:
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a) a mandrel comprising an elongate body having an outer surface contour configured to support an inside surface of the endovascular graft;
b) the graft section having at least one inflatable cuff or channel disposed about at least a portion of the mandrel;
c) a pressure line comprising an elongate conduit having an input end, an output end and a permeability gradient which increases with distance from the input end and which is in fluid communication with an inflatable cuff or channel of a main body portion of the endovascular graft;
d) a mold at least partially disposed about the graft section, the pressure line and the mandrel, comprising a plurality of mold body portions configured to mate together to produce an assembled mold having a main cavity portion with an inside surface contour that matches an outside surface contour of the graft section with the at least one inflatable cuff or channel in an expanded state and configured to radially constrain an outer layer or layers of the at least one inflatable cuff or channel during expansion of the cuff or channel. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. A method of forming at least one inflatable channel or cuff of an endovascular graft or section thereof comprising:
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a) providing a graft section with at least one inflatable channel or cuff formed between layers of graft material of the graft section in an unexpanded state;
b) providing a mold comprising a main cavity portion having an inside surface contour that corresponds to an outside surface contour of the graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state;
c) positioning the graft section in the main cavity portion of the mold with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff of the graft section in an unexpanded state and positioned to expand into corresponding channel or cuff cavity portions of the main cavity portion;
d) injecting pressurized fluid into the at least one inflatable channel or cuff to expand the at least one inflatable channel or cuff;
e) fixing the graft material of the at least one inflatable channel or cuff with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. A method of forming at least one inflatable channel or cuff of an endovascular graft or section thereof comprising:
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a) providing a graft section with at least one inflatable channel or cuff formed between layers of graft material of the graft section in an unexpanded state;
b) providing a mold comprising a main cavity portion having an inside surface contour that corresponds to an outside surface contour of the graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state;
c) positioning the graft section in the main cavity portion of the mold with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff of the graft section in an unexpanded state positioned to expand into corresponding channel or cuff cavity portions of the main cavity portion;
d) injecting pressurized liquid into the at least one inflatable channel or cuff to expand the at least one inflatable channel or cuff; and
e) fixing the graft material of the at least one inflatable channel or cuff with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state. - View Dependent Claims (71)
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72. An outer constraint means for manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof which has at least one inflatable channel or cuff, comprising:
one or more of outer constraint body means configured to produce an outer constraint means having a main cavity means configured to radially constrain an outside surface contour of a graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state.
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73. An outer constraint means for manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof which has at least one inflatable channel or cuff, comprising:
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a first outer constraint body means having a main cavity means configured to correspond to an outside surface contour of a graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state; and
a second outer constraint body means configured to mate with the first outer constraint body means and configured to correspond to an outside surface contour of the graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state.
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74. A pressure line for use in the manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof comprising:
an elongate gas containment means having an input end, an output end and means for producing a permeability gradient which increases with distance from the input end along a section of the elongate gas containment means.
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75. An assembly for manufacture of an endovascular graft or section thereof which has at least one inflatable cuff or channel on a graft section, comprising:
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a) an interior surface support means configured to support an inside surface of the graft section;
b) the graft section having at least one inflatable cuff or channel disposed about at least a portion of the interior surface support means;
c) a pressure line comprising an elongate gas containment means having an input end, an output end and means for producing a permeability gradient which increases with distance from the input end along a section of the elongate gas containment means;
d) an outer constraint means at least partially disposed about the graft section, the pressure line and the interior surface support means, comprising a plurality of outer constraint body means configured to mate with at least one of the other outer constraint body means to produce an assembled outer constraint means configured to radially constrain an outside surface contour of the graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state during expansion of the cuff or channel.
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76. A method of forming at least one inflatable channel or cuff of an endovascular graft or section thereof comprising the steps of:
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a) providing an endovascular graft section with at least one inflatable channel or cuff formed between layers of graft material of the graft section in an unexpanded state;
b) providing an outer constraint means configured to radially constrain an outside surface contour of the graft section with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state during expansion of the cuff or channel;
c) positioning the graft section within the outer constraint means with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff of the graft section in an unexpanded state positioned to expand into a corresponding channel or cuff cavity of the outer constraint means;
d) expanding the at least one inflatable channel or cuff with pressurized fluid;
e) fixing the graft material of the at least one inflatable channel or cuff with the at least one inflatable channel or cuff in an expanded state. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78)
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Specification