Tubular Metal Prosthesis and Method of Making It

• US 20100070018A1
• Filed: 07/10/2007
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Angiomed GmbH and Co Medizentechnik KG (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Wolf, Jaqueline
• Granted Patent: US 9,445,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.150
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• 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 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91591 Locking connectors, e.g. using male-female connections
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0058 soldered or brazed or welded
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0096 Markers and sensors for detecting a position or changes of a position of an implant, e.g. RF sensors, ultrasound markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/08 Non-ferrous metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/18 Dissimilar materials
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/26 Alloys of Nickel and Cobalt and Chromium
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 31/02 relating to soldering or welding dip or wave soldering in the manufacture of printed circuits H05K3/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

For welding a polished component of one metal to a polished prosthesis of another metal, ramp surfaces are used, to compensate for loss of precise dimensions of the two components at the surfaces that face each other at the weld interface, during the respective polishing procedures for the two metals.

Claims

1. A method of making a machined and polished tubular metal prosthesis that defines a lumen around a long axis of the prosthesis and to which is welded a component of another metal that has opposed major surfaces that are arcuate luminal and abluminal surfaces relative to said long axis, the component having an edge portion that faces a complementary edge portion defined by the metal prosthesis and at which the component is welded to the prosthesis, comprising the steps of:

1) polishing at least one of the prosthesis and the component;

2) providing the respective complementary edge portions as ramp surfaces which prior to said welding can approach each other as the component moves in one direction along the long axis relative to the prosthesis, and can move away from each other, vice versa, when the component is moved in the opposite sense along the axis;

3) moving the component and the prosthesis relative to each other along the said axis, to approximate the respective ramp surfaces ready for welding; and

4) welding together the approximated ramp surfaces.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the polishing step is an electro-polishing step.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of polishing the prosthesis occurs prior to the welding step.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the component polishing step is an electro-polishing step.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal of the prosthesis is a nickel titanium shape memory alloy.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the other metal of the component is tantalum.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the metal prosthesis is a self-expanding stent.

8. A tubular metal prosthesis having a long axis defining a lumen, comprising:

a. a component of another metal having arcuate major surfaces that are luminal and abluminal with respect to the lumen;

b. a component edge portion;

c. a complementary prosthesis edge portion that abuts the component edge portion, wherein the component being for welding to the prosthesis at the respective edge portions when approximates; and

,

d. a plurality of ramp surfaces on the component edge portion forming a female portion and a plurality of ramp surfaces on the prosthesis edge portion forming a male portion, which (in the absence of welding) can approach each other as the component moves in one direction along the long axis relative to the prosthesis and move away from each other vice versa when the component is moved in the opposite sense along the axis, wherein at least one of the component ramp surfaces and the prosthesis ramp surfaces that receive the component are polished surfaces.

9. The prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the ramp surfaces of the other of the component and the prosthesis are also polished surfaces.

10. The prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the polished surfaces are electro-polished surfaces.

11. The prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the ramp surfaces of the component flank a recess in the component to receive the complementary ramp surfaces of the prosthesis, in a male/female relationship.

12. The prosthesis of claim 11, wherein the male portion exhibits an arrow head shape with a tip at one end and a shank at the other.

13. The prosthesis of claim 12, wherein the component has at least one re-entrant portion for engaging the prosthesis to one side of the shank, behind the arrow head.