Coupling device and method of use
First Claim
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1. An assembly for connecting a stent and a vascular graft, comprising:
- an intravascular stent that is expandable from a delivery diameter to an implanted diameter;
a vascular graft having a folded diameter approximating said delivery diameter of said stent, and having an unfolded diameter approximating said implanted diameter of said stent;
a flexible coupler having a first end attached to said stent and a second end attached to said graft, said stent, said graft and said coupler forming a stent-coupler graft assembly that remains connected during delivery through a body lumen,wherein said stent-coupler-graft assembly has a substantially uniform reduced profile formed by contracting said stent and folding said graft, said stent-coupler-graft assembly remaining connected after deployment of said stent to said implanted diameter and said graft to said unfolded diameter, with no portion of said graft overlapping said stent.
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Abstract
A coupler is provided for connecting a stent and a vascular graft for repairing aneurysms. An intravascular stent is connected to a vascular graft by a coupler having a high degree of elasticity so that the stent-coupler-graft assembly can be implanted to repair a body passageway, including aortic aneurysms.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An assembly for connecting a stent and a vascular graft, comprising:
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an intravascular stent that is expandable from a delivery diameter to an implanted diameter; a vascular graft having a folded diameter approximating said delivery diameter of said stent, and having an unfolded diameter approximating said implanted diameter of said stent; a flexible coupler having a first end attached to said stent and a second end attached to said graft, said stent, said graft and said coupler forming a stent-coupler graft assembly that remains connected during delivery through a body lumen, wherein said stent-coupler-graft assembly has a substantially uniform reduced profile formed by contracting said stent and folding said graft, said stent-coupler-graft assembly remaining connected after deployment of said stent to said implanted diameter and said graft to said unfolded diameter, with no portion of said graft overlapping said stent. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of repairing a body passageway, including an intravascular stent that is expandable from a first, delivery diameter to a second, implanted diameter, a vascular graft having a diameter approximating said implanted diameter of said stent, and a flexible coupler adapted to attach said intravascular stent and said vascular graft to form a stent-coupler-graft assembly, the method comprising:
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attaching said stent to one end of said coupler and attaching said graft to the opposite end of said coupler; mounting the stent-coupler-graft assembly on a balloon catheter; reducing the profile of the stent-coupler-graft assembly to a first diameter by crimping said stent onto the balloon portion of said catheter, and folding said graft onto said catheter, to reduce the overall profile so that said stent-coupler-graft assembly has a substantially uniform first delivery diameter; inserting said stent-coupler-graft assembly on said balloon catheter assembly percutaneously and transporting through the body passageway; deploying said stent-coupler-graft assembly by expanding said stent to an enlarged, second diameter and unfolding said graft; and withdrawing said balloon catheter assembly from the body passageway. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification