Vascular graft bypass apparatus

• US 5,634,941 A
• Filed: 09/28/1993
• Issued: 06/03/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ultrasonic Sensing and Monitoring Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ultrasonic Sensing and Monitoring Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Neet, John M., Winston, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRITTINGHAM, DEBRA
• Application Number:
  US08/128,345
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/11, 623/12, 606/191-200, 606/153, 600/36, 604/8, 604/174
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• 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 2220/0033 made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementary-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit

Abstract

A vascular graft is held in a collapsed state on a pair of stents which take the form of flexible sheets wound around a spool. A sheath is fitted closely around the graft to hold it in its collapsed state and to retain the stents in rolls tightly wound on the spool. After the spool has been inserted into a damaged vessel and advanced to the area of vascular damage, the sheath is withdrawn. The stents then unwind and expand to press the ends of the graft against healthy parts of the vessel on opposite sides of the damaged area. An alternative embodiment of the invention includes a Y-shaped graft for application to a branched part of a vessel. In place of a sheath, control cords with slip knots are used to retain the stents in their contracted conditions while the graft is being positioned in the vessel. The control cords can be pulled to release the slip knots and permit the stents to expand in a manner to secure two branch portions of the graft in the vessel branches and a trunk portion of the graft in the main trunk of the vessel. The stents are also useful in connection with the grafts which are implanted to function as vascular bypasses.

Claims

1. Vascular graft bypass apparatus for connection with a vessel having first and second branches adjoining a damaged area, said apparatus comprising:

a flexible graft having opposed first and second ends;

first and second stents in the respective first and second ends of the graft, each stent including a thin flexible sheet wound in a roll having a contracted condition and urged to unwind to an expanded condition;

first maintaining means for maintaining said first stent in the contracted condition to permit said first end of the graft to be inserted into the first branch of the vessel;

second maintaining means for maintaining said second stent in the contracted condition to permit said second end of the graft to be inserted into the second branch of the vessel,

said first and second maintaining means being selectively releasable to allow the rolls to assume the expanded condition thereof to press the ends of said graft against said vessel to secure the graft as a bypass from said first branch to said second branch; and

a pair of flanges secured to said graft at locations spaced from the first and second ends, the flanges being adapted to fit against the vessel adjacent to where the graft enters the first and second branches.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, said graft having an opening proximal to the first end of the graft, the stent in the first end of the graft being between said first end and said opening.