STENT AND STENT-GRAFT HAVING ONE OR MORE CONFORMANCE STRUTS

• US 20100161027A1
• Filed: 12/17/2009
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cook Medical Incorporated (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: MED Institute, Inc. (Cook Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Orr, David E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,672,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.130
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/848 having means for fixation to the vessel wall, e.g. barbs
• 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 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8483 Barbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8486 provided on at least one of the ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91508 the meander having a difference in amplitude along the band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0058 soldered or brazed or welded
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0048 differing in mechanical expandability, e.g. in mechanical, self- or balloon expandability

Abstract

A stent includes a main body having proximal and distal ends, and at least one conformance strut coupled to the proximal end of the main body. A portion of the at least one conformance strut extends proximal to a proximal end of a graft material in a compressed delivery configuration, and further is aligned inside the proximal end of the graft material in an expanded deployed configuration. In the deployed configuration, the proximal conformance strut may at least partially encircle the graft material just distal to the proximal end of the graft material, which may reduce the likelihood of infolding at the proximal edge of the graft material and potential endoleaks.

Claims

1. A stent-graft for use in a medical procedure, the stent-graft comprising:

a substantially tubular graft material; and

at least one stent coupled to the graft material and having compressed and deployed configurations,

where a proximal end of the stent comprises at least one conformance strut having a compressed delivery configuration and an expanded deployed configuration, and

where, in the compressed delivery configuration, the at least one conformance strut comprises an outwardly extending loop that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the stent and extends beyond the proximal end of the graft material, and

where, in the deployed configuration, the at least one conformance strut is disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and is aligned inside the proximal end of the graft material.

2. The stent-graft of claim 1 where the at least one conformance strut is integrally formed with the stent.

3. The stent-graft of claim 1 where the stent comprises a zig-zag shape having a plurality of proximal and distal apices, where at least one conformance strut is disposed between adjacent proximal apices.

4. The stent-graft of claim 3 where each proximal apex is connected to the next adjacent proximal apex by a conformance strut to form a proximal conformance ring when the conformance struts are in the deployed configuration.

5. The stent-graft of claim 1 where, in the deployed configuration, the at least one conformance strut is wave-shaped.

6. The stent-graft of claim 1 where, in the deployed configuration, the at least one conformance strut is concave-shaped relative to a main body of the stent.

7. The stent-graft of claim 1 where, in the deployed configuration, the at least one conformance strut is convex-shaped relative to a main body of the stent.

8. A method for deploying a stent-graft, the method comprising:

providing a stent-graft comprising a substantially tubular graft material and at least one stent coupled to the graft material;

providing at least one conformance strut at a proximal end of the stent;

delivering the stent-graft with the stent and the at least one conformance strut in compressed delivery configurations, where in the compressed delivery configuration the at least one conformance strut comprises an outwardly extending loop that is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the stent and extends beyond a proximal end of the graft material;

deploying the stent to cause the stent and the graft material to radially expand; and

deploying the at least one conformance strut, where in the deployed configuration the at least one conformance strut is disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and is aligned inside the proximal end of the graft material.

9. The method of claim 8 where a plurality of conformance struts are provided, where each of the conformance struts comprises a first end, a second end, and a central region formed therebetween, and where the central region comprises an arcuate shape in the compressed delivery configuration.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing at least one trigger wire coupled to the central region at least one of the conformance struts to radially restrain the conformance struts during delivery.

11. The method of claim 8 where the stent comprises a zig-zag shape having a plurality of proximal and distal apices, where at least one conformance strut is disposed between adjacent proximal apices.

12. The method of claim 11 where each proximal apex is connected to the next adjacent apex by a conformance strut to form a proximal conformance ring when the proximal conformance struts are in the deployed configuration.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing at least one integral barb formed in a main body of the stent.

14. The method of claim 8 where the conformance strut self-expands from the compressed delivery configuration to the expanded deployed configuration.

15. A stent for use in a medical procedure, the stent comprising:

a main body having proximal and distal ends, and further comprising at least one conformance strut coupled to the proximal end of the main body, where the main body and the at least one conformance strut each comprise a compressed delivery configuration and each comprise an expanded deployed configuration,

where the main body comprises a zig-zag shape in the deployed configuration comprising a plurality of substantially straight first segments and second segments having a plurality of proximal and distal apices disposed therebetween,

where the at least one conformance strut comprises a first end, a second end, and a central region formed therebetween, where the first end of the conformance strut is coupled to a first proximal apex of the main body, and the distal end of the conformance strut is coupled to an adjacent, second proximal apex of the main body, and

where the at least one conformance strut extends proximal to the proximal apices of the main body in the compressed delivery configuration, and further forms a substantially ring shape together with the proximal apices of the main body in the expanded deployed configuration.

16. The stent of claim 15 where the at least one conformance strut is integrally formed with the main body.

17. The stent of claim 15 where the central region of each of the conformance struts comprises an arcuate shape in the compressed delivery configuration.

18. The stent of claim 15 where, in the deployed configuration, the at least one conformance strut is wave-shaped.

19. The stent of claim 15 where, in the deployed configuration, the at least one conformance strut is concave-shaped relative to a main body of the stent.

20. The stent of claim 15 further comprising at least one integral barb formed in at least one of the first and second segments of the main body.