Compliant Blood Vessel Graft

• US 20090306764A1
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vascular Graft Solutions Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Neograft Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Douk, Nareak, Rafiee, Nasser, Bezuidenhout, Deon, Yeoman, Mark, Bowles, Hellmut, Franz, Thomas, Zilla, Peter P., Wolf, Michael F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,517,121 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/06 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/14 Macromolecular materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/3625 Vascular tissue, e.g. heart valves

Abstract

A graft includes a flexible, resilient, generally tubular external support and a blood vessel segment, carried within and having an ablumenal surface in contact with and supported by the tubular support, the graft being capable of resilient radial expansion in a manner mimicking the radial compliance properties of an artery.

Claims

1. A blood vessel graft comprising a flexible, fiber mesh configured as a generally tubular external support and a blood vessel segment carried within and having an ablumenal surface in contact with and supported by the tubular support, the support having resilient radial expansion and contraction characteristics contributing to the compliance properties of the graft.

2. The graft of claim 1 including an adhesive adhering the tubular support to the ablumenal surface of the vessel to resist collapse of the vessel within the support.

3. The graft of claim 1 including an adhesive tape positioned around a portion of the tubular support, the tape including an adhesive that extends through the fiber mesh support and into adhesive contact with the ablumenal surface of the vessel.

4. The graft of claim 2 wherein said adhesive at least partially embeds said fiber mesh and adhesively contacts the ablumenal surface of the vessel.

5. The graft of claim 2 wherein said adhesive is formed as a coating on the fibers of the fiber mesh.

6. A graft for replacement of a section of an artery, the graft comprising a flexible, resilient, knit wire mesh configured as a generally tubular external support and a blood vessel segment carried within and having an ablumenal surface in contact with and supported by the tubular support, the support having resilient radial expansion and contraction characteristics that provide the graft with compliance properties mimicking those of an artery.