WOVEN FABRIC WITH SHAPE MEMORY ELEMENT STRANDS

• US 20080228028A1
• Filed: 03/10/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cook Medical Incorporated (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cook Incorporated (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Carlson, James M., Parker, Fred T., Kuppurathanam, Shyam S.V., Todd, Rebecca Sue
• Granted Patent: US 8,177,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/06 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0014 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2400/16 Materials with shape-memory or superelastic properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/022 Metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/041 Mixtures of macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/14 Materials characterised by their function or physical properties , e.g. injectable or lubricating compositions, shape-memory materials, surface modified materials
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 2201/12 Shape memory
• CPC Class Codes: D02G 3/12 Threads containing metallic filaments or strips
• CPC Class Codes: D02G 3/448 Yarns or threads for use in medical applications D02G3/449 takes precedence; surgical suture materials A61L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 13/004 with weave pattern being non-standard or providing special effects
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 13/008 characterised by weave density or surface weight
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/00 Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/283 synthetic polymer-based, e.g. polyamide or polyester fibres cellulose-based artificial fibres D03D15/225
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 15/56 elastic
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 3/02 Tubular fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2101/20 Metallic fibres
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2321/021 polyethylene
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2321/022 : polypropylene
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2321/042 : polymers of fluorinated hydrocarbons, e.g. polytetrafluoroethene [PTFE]
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2331/04 : polyesters, e.g. polyethylene terephthalate [PET]
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2331/10 : polyurethanes
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/046 : Shape recovering or form memory
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/061 : elastic
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2509/06 : Vascular grafts; stents

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a woven fabric for use in an implantable medical device. The woven fabric comprises shape memory element strands woven with textile strands. At least one of the shape memory element strands has at least one float of at least five textile strands between binding points.

Claims

1. A woven fabric suitable for an implantable medical device comprising shape memory element strands and textile strands aligned in a first direction interlaced with textile strands aligned in a second direction, where at least one of the shape memory element strands aligned in the first direction has at least one float of at least five textile strands aligned in the second direction.

2. The woven fabric of claim 1, where the textile strands comprise a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, and polytetrafluoroethylene, and combinations thereof.

3. The woven fabric of claim 1, where the textile strands have a denier between about 0.1 denier to about 200 denier.

4. The woven fabric of claim 1, where the shape memory element strands are selected from the group consisting of a shape memory polymer, a shape memory metal, and combinations thereof.

5. The woven fabric of claim 1, where the shape memory element strands comprise superelastic nitinol wire.

6. The woven fabric of claim 5, where the superelastic nitinol wire has a diameter between about 70 μ

m to about 125 μ

m.

7. The woven fabric of claim 1, where the shape memory element strands in the first direction have at least one float of between six to twelve textile strands in the second direction.

8. The woven fabric of claim 1, where the fabric comprises a primary weave selected from the group consisting of a plain weave, a basket weave, a rep weave, a rib weave, a twill weave, a leno weave, a mock leno weave, a satin weave, a double weave, or a variation thereof.

9. The woven fabric of claim 1, where the fabric comprises a tubular double weave.

10. The woven fabric of claim 1, further comprising any two or more of the following:

textile strands comprising a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, and polytetrafluoroethylene, and combinations thereof;

textile strands comprising a denier between about 0.1 denier to about 200 denier;

shape memory element strands selected from the group consisting of a shape memory polymer, a shape memory metal, and combinations thereof;

shape memory element strands comprising superelastic nitinol wire having a diameter between about 70 μ

m to about 125 μ

m;

shape memory element strands in the first direction having at least one float of between six to twelve textile strands in the second direction; and

a primary weave selected from the group consisting of a plain weave, a basket weave, a rep weave, a rib weave, a twill weave, a leno weave, a mock leno weave, a satin weave, a double weave, or a variation thereof.

11. A method of producing a woven fabric for an implantable medical device comprising the steps of:

providing textile strands and shape memory element strands to be aligned in a first direction; and

providing textile strands to be aligned in a second direction; and

weaving the shape memory element strands and textile strands to produce a woven fabric;

where at least one of the shape memory element strands is woven to have at least one float of at least five textile strands in the second direction.

12. The method of claim 11, where the shape memory element strands and textile strands aligned in the first direction comprise weft strands and the textile strands aligned in the second direction comprise warp strands.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising heating the shape memory element strands on a mandrel prior to weaving.

14. The method of claim 13, where the shape memory element strands comprise a shape memory metal that is heated to a temperature above the shape memory metal'"'"'s austenite finish temperature.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising cooling the heated shape memory element strands prior to weaving.

16. The method of claim 15, where the shape memory element strands comprise a shape memory metal that is cooled to a temperature below the shape memory metal'"'"'s martensite start temperature.

17. The method of claim 11, where the weave comprises a tubular double weave.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising heating the woven fabric to a temperature above austenite start temperature, where the shape memory element strands comprise a shape memory metal.

19. A woven tubular stent-graft comprising

shape memory element strands aligned in a first direction and polyester strands aligned in the first direction interlaced with textile strands aligned in a second direction;

and

a primary weave comprising a tubular double weave;

where at least one of the shape memory element strands has at least one float of between six to twelve textile strands aligned in the second direction.

20. The stent-graft of claim 19, the shape memory element strands comprising a superelastic nitinol wire having a diameter between about 70 μ

m to about 125 μ

m and the textile strands comprising polyester having a denier between about microdenier to about 200 denier.