Super-elastic alloy braid structure

• US 5,927,345 A
• Filed: 04/30/1996
• Issued: 07/27/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Target Therapeutics, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Therapeutics, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Samson, Gene
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferensic, Denise L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hook, James F.
• Application Number:
  US08/640,342
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 138/123, 138/124, 138/127, 138/153, 138/172
• US Class Current: 138/127
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2400/16 Materials with shape-memory or superelastic properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0012 with embedded structures, e.g. coils, braids, meshes, strands or radiopaque coils
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 39/08 Tubes; Storage means specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 3/02 Tubular fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 11/14 made of rigid material, e.g. metal or hard plastics

Abstract

This is a braided tubular structure made up of a plurality of interwoven fibrous members, preferably ribbons, a majority of which comprise one or more superelastic and (at least) ternary alloys of nickel, titanium, and at least about 1.5% (wt) of one or more alloying members selected from the group consisting of vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, and cobalt.

Claims

1. A tubular structure comprising a plurality of constituent filaments:

wherein said plurality of constituent filaments are interwoven into a braid forming an inner passageway,

wherein at least some of said constituent filaments are superelastic alloy constituent filaments,

wherein said superelastic alloy constituent filaments have a cross section with a maximum dimension no greater than about 12.0 mils, and

wherein said superelastic alloy comprises a nickel titanium alloy containing at least about 1.5%(wt) of at least one alloying element selected from the group consisting of vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, and cobalt.

2. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein the constituent filaments have cross-sections selected from rectangular, circular, oval, square, and triangular.

3. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein the constituent filaments comprise ribbons having a rectangular cross-section.

4. The tubular structure of claim 3 wherein the ribbon rectangular cross section have a major axis between 2.5 and 12.0 mils and a minor axis between 0.25 and 3.0 mils.

5. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein the tubular structure has been heat-treated after braiding to impart a consistent diameter to said structure.

6. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein a minority of said constituent filaments comprises conductor filaments interwoven into said braid, said conductor filaments having a specific resistance of less than about 100 ohms per foot.

7. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein a minority of said constituent filaments comprises radio-opaque filaments interwoven into said braid, said radio-opaque filaments comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, rhodium, rhenium, ruthenium, gold, tungsten, their mixtures and alloys.

8. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein a minority of said constituent filaments comprises polymeric filaments interwoven into said braid.

9. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein the tubular structure is interwoven using a single member braid structure.

10. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein the tubular structure is interwoven using a multiple member braid structure.

11. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein the tubular structure has a cross section selected from circular, oval, triangular, rectangular, and square.

12. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the filaments have a cross section selected from circular, oval, triangular, rectangular, and square.

13. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein said at least one alloying element selected from the group consisting of chromium and iron.

14. The tubular structure of claim 1 wherein said at least one alloying element is chromium.

15. A tubular structure comprising a plurality of constituent ribbons:

wherein said plurality of constituent ribbons are interwoven into a braid forming an inner passageway,

wherein at least some of said constituent ribbons are superelastic alloy constituent rectangular cross-section ribbons,

wherein said superelastic alloy constituent ribbons having a cross section having a major axis between 2.5 and 12.0 mils and a minor axis between 0.25 and 3.0 mils, and

wherein said superelastic alloy comprises a nickel-titanium alloy containing at least about 1.5% (wt) of at least one alloying element selected from the group consisting of vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, and cobalt.

16. The tubular structure of claim 15 wherein the tubular structure has been heat-treated after braiding to impart a consistent diameter to said structure.