Modular vascular prosthesis having axially variable properties and improved flexibility and methods of use

• US 20060195175A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Limited (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Limited (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bregulla, Rainer
• Granted Patent: US 8,002,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/852 Two or more distinct overlapping stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/89 the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30019 differing in mechanical expandability, e.g. in mechanical, self- or balloon expandability
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30428 made by inserting a protrusion into a slot
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30604 modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30677 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products, e.g. antibiotics, into the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/828 Means for connecting a plurality of stents allowing flexibility of the whole structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91516 the meander having a change in frequency along the band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91525 within the whole structure different bands showing different meander characteristics, e.g. frequency or amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91591 Locking connectors, e.g. using male-female connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0048 differing in mechanical expandability, e.g. in mechanical, self- or balloon expandability
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0063 Nested prosthetic parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0067 Means for introducing or releasing pharmaceutical products into the body

Abstract

The present invention provides a vascular prosthesis featuring a plurality of modular segments interengaged by flexible, and preferably lockable, inter-engageable elements forming joints. The segments may have a number of different mechanical properties and may be assembled by the clinician to customize the prosthesis for a specific patient or application.

Claims

1. A modular vascular prosthesis having a delivery configuration and an deployed configuration, the vascular prosthesis comprising:

a radially expandable first segment having proximal and distal ends;

a radially expandable second segment having proximal and distal ends;

a plurality of first inter-engageable elements extending from the distal end of the first segment; and

a plurality of second inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal end of the second segment,

wherein the plurality of first inter-engagable elements are engaged in the plurality of second inter-engageable elements to permit articulation of the first segment relative to the second segment in the delivery configuration.

2. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1 wherein the pluralities of first and second inter-engageable elements fixedly engage each other in the deployed configuration.

3. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1 wherein the plurality of first inter-engageable elements comprises ball elements and the plurality of second inter-engageable elements comprises socket elements.

4. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1 wherein the pluralities of first and second inter-engageable elements comprise spiral elements.

5. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first and second segments comprise hoops having a generally zig-zag configuration.

6. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 5, wherein the zig-zag configuration comprises a plurality of struts coupled by a plurality of bends.

7. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 5 wherein the plurality of first inter-engageable elements comprises ball elements and the plurality of second inter-engageable elements comprises socket elements.

8. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 5 wherein the pluralities of first and second inter-engageable elements comprise spiral elements.

9. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 7, wherein each ball element comprises an extension of a corresponding one of the plurality of struts.

10. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 9, wherein each ball element comprises a flange.

11. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 7, wherein each socket element comprises an extension of a corresponding one of the plurality of struts.

12. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, wherein first segment has a first length and the second segment has a second length, and the first and second lengths are different.

13. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, wherein first segment comprises a first material and the second segment comprises a second material, and the first material is different than the second material.

14. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 13, wherein the first material comprises a metal alloy and the second material comprises a polymer.

15. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, wherein first segment possesses a first set of mechanical properties and the second segment possesses a second set of mechanical properties, and the first set of mechanical properties is different than the second set of mechanical properties.

16. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, wherein first segment has a first strut configuration and the second segment has a second strut configuration, and the first strut configuration is different than the second strut configuration.

17. The modular prosthesis of claim 15 wherein the first segment is balloon expandable and the second segment is self-expanding.

18. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second segments comprises a drug-eluting polymeric material.

19. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second segments includes a side-branch aperture.

20. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second segments includes a cover comprising a biocompatible graft material.

21. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of second inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal end of the first segment; and

a plurality of first inter-engageable elements extending from the distal end of the second segment.

22. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of first inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal end of the first segment; and

a plurality of second inter-engageable elements extending from the distal end of the second segment.

23. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of second inter-engageable elements extending from the distal end of the first segment, individual ones of the plurality of second inter-engageable elements interleaved with individual ones of the first inter-engageable elements extending from the distal end of the first segment; and

a plurality of first inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal end of the second segment, individual ones of the plurality of first inter-engageable elements interleaved with individual ones of the second inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal end of the second segment.

24. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 5 wherein at least one of the first and second segments comprises first and second hoops having a generally zig-zag configuration.

25. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 24 wherein the first and second hoops are coupled by flexible spiral joints.

38. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 21, further comprising:

a plurality of first inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal ends of the first segments; and

a plurality of second inter-engageable elements extending from the distal ends of the second segments.

26. A modular vascular prosthesis having a delivery configuration and an deployed configuration, the vascular prosthesis comprising:

a plurality of radially expandable first segments having proximal and distal ends;

a plurality of radially expandable second segments having proximal and distal ends;

a plurality of first inter-engageable elements extending from the distal ends of the first segments; and

a plurality of second inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal ends of the second segments, the plurality of second inter-engageable elements engaged with the plurality of first inter-engageable elements,

wherein the first segments possess a first set of mechanical properties and the second segments possess a second set of mechanical properties, and the first set of mechanical properties is different than the second set of mechanical properties.

27. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26 wherein the pluralities of first and second inter-engageable elements fixedly engage each other in the deployed configuration.

28. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26 wherein the plurality of first inter-engageable elements comprises ball elements and the plurality of second inter-engageable elements comprises socket elements.

29. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26 wherein the pluralities of first and second inter-engageable elements comprise spiral elements.

30. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26, wherein first segments comprise a first material and the second segments comprise a second material, and the first material is different than the second material.

31. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 30, wherein the first material comprises a metal alloy and the second material comprises a polymer.

32. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26, wherein first segments have a first strut configuration and the second segments have a second strut configuration, and the first strut configuration is different than the second strut configuration.

33. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26, wherein the first segments have a first length and the second segments have a second length, and the first and second lengths are different

34. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of first segments comprises a drug-eluting polymeric material.

35. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26, wherein at least one of the plurality of first segments includes a side-branch aperture.

36. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26, wherein at least one of the plurality of first segments includes a cover comprising a biocompatible graft material.

37. The modular vascular prosthesis of claim 26, further comprising:

a plurality of second inter-engageable elements extending from the proximal ends of the first segments; and

a plurality of first inter-engageable elements extending from the distal ends of the second segments.