GRAFT DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM

• US 20100179636A1
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Endologix
• Original Assignee: Endologix
• Inventors: Pham, Trinh Van, Mayberry, Kevin John
• Application Number:
  US12/726,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20100179636A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.110
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9522 Means for mounting a stent or stent-graft onto or into a placement instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/954 for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/966 with relative longitudinal movement between outer sleeve and prosthesis, e.g. using a push rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9505 having retaining means other than an outer sleeve, e.g. male-female connector between stent and instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires

Abstract

A deployment catheter for deploying endoluminal vascular prosthesis that has at least a main graft portion and a first branch graft portion includes an elongate, flexible catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end and comprising an outer sheath and an inner core that is axially moveable with respect to the outer sheath. The catheter includes a main graft restraint that has a main graft release mechanism comprising a plurality of axially spaced restraint members. The catheter further includes a branch graft restraint comprising a branch graft release mechanism.

Claims

1. A deployment system for deploying a self-expanding prosthesis, comprising:

a catheter body having a proximal end, a distal end and an inner core;

a tubular member configured to constrain at least a portion of the prosthesis, the tubular member comprising a wall portion; and

a release wire positioned through the wall portion of the tubular member along at least a portion of the length of the tubular member;

wherein;

the release wire is configured to form one or more loops along at least a portion of the length of the tubular member; and

the release wire is configured to open the tubular member to deploy at least a portion of the prosthesis when the release wire is proximally retracted.

2. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the release wire is a suture.

3. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the prosthesis is a bifurcated stent graft.

4. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the tubular member has a longitudinal slit extending along at least a portion of the length thereof.

5. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the prosthesis is self-expanding.

6. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the tubular member comprises PTFE.

7. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the tubular member comprises one or more openings along the length of a portion thereof.

8. The deployment system of claim 7, wherein the release wire passes through at least one of the one or more openings.

9. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the release wire is configured to form a plurality of loops along at least a portion of the length of the tubular member.

10. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein:

the prosthesis comprises a main branch portion, a first branch portion, and a second branch portion;

the tubular member is configured to constrain the main branch portion; and

the release wire is configured to open the tubular member to deploy the main branch portion when the release wire is proximally retracted.

11. The deployment system of claim 10, further comprising an external release mechanism in communication with the release wire.

12. The deployment system of claim 1, wherein the catheter body further has an outer sheath, and wherein the inner core is axially moveable with respect to the outer sheath.

13. A method for deploying an endoluminal prosthesis in a patient'"'"'s vasculature, comprising:

introducing a deployment system supporting a prosthesis having a main body section into the first branch vessel at a first access site, the main body section being positioned within a tubular member;

advancing the deployment system distally through at least a portion of the first branch vessel and into the main vessel; and

opening the tubular member to release the main body section of the prosthesis from within the tubular member from a radially compressed state within the deployment system to a radially expanded state within the main vessel by proximally retracting a release wire threaded through a portion of the tubular member so as to form one or more loops through a wall portion of the tubular member.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the prosthesis further has first and second proximally extending branch sections in communication with the main body section.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising releasing at least one of the first and the second branch sections from a radially compressed state to a radially expanded state.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the release wire forms a plurality of loops through the wall portion of the tubular member.