Appliance to be implanted, method of collapsing the appliance to be implanted and method of using the appliance to be implanted

• US 6,013,100 A
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kanji Inoue
• Original Assignee: Kanji Inoue
• Inventors: Inoue, Kanji
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Mickey
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tram A.
• Application Number:
  US09/119,523
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/11, 623/12, 606/108, 606/191, 606/194, 606/195, 606/198, 128/898
• US Class Current: 623/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/86 Stents in a form characterised by the wire-like elements; Stents in the form characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• 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 2/9522 Means for mounting a stent or stent-graft onto or into a placement instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9525 using a funnel
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/954 for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/97 the outer sleeve being splittable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/072 Encapsulated stents, e.g. wire or whole stent embedded in lining
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/903 Blood vessel

Abstract

The artificial blood vessel A comprises a front end wire ring 10₁, a rear end wire ring 10₂ arranged facing to the front end wire ring 10₁, a tubular cover 7 which connects the end wire rings 10₁, 10₂, and a plurality of intermediate wire rings 12 arranged spaced apart from each other between the front end wire ring 10₁ and the rear end wire ring 10₂. Each of the front end wire ring 10₁, the rear end wire ring 10₂ and the intermediate wire rings 12 are given flexibly foldable elasticity. The circumference of the front end wire ring 10₁ is equally divided into four by dividing points 41₁, 42₁, 43₁, 44₁. Hooking means 13 are formed for a front pull string to be passed through at the dividing points 41₁, 43₁. The circumference of the intermediate wire ring 12 is fixed to the tubular cover 7 by suturing or with adhesive at the positions 51₃, 52₃, 53₃, 54₃ which correspond to the midpoint 51₁ between the dividing points 41₁, 42₁, the midpoint 52₁ between the dividing points 42₁, 43₁, the midpoint 53₁ between the dividing points 43₁, 44₁, and the midpoint 54₁ between the dividing points 44₁, 41₁.

Claims

1. A method of forming an appliance implantation assembly from a pair of appliances to be implanted, each said appliance having a front end wire ring, a rear end wire ring arranged facing to said front end wire ring, a tubular cover which connects said front end wire ring and said rear end wire ring, and a plurality of intermediate wire rings spaced apart from each other between the front end wire ring and the rear end wire ring, in which each of the wire rings exhibits flexibly foldable elasticity, and wherein a front end wire ring of one of said appliances, a rear end wire ring of the other appliance, and an intermediate wire ring of said other appliance, adjacent said rear end wire ring of the other appliance, are formed as separate closed loops, said method comprising:

inserting said one appliance part-way into the other appliance such that said one appliance extends within said other appliance in overlapping relationship therewith;

locating the front end wire ring of said one appliance in contact against an interior surface of the tubular cover of said other appliance, within a space formed between the rear end wire ring of said other appliance and said adjacent intermediate wire ring; and

adjusting an axial position of said front end wire ring within said space, to thereby vary an overall length of the appliance implantation assembly.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the inserting, locating and adjusting steps are carried out following an initial implantation of said other appliance in an organ.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said organ is a blood vessel and said other appliance is implanted in the blood vessel upstream from said one blood vessel.

4. An appliance implantation assembly comprising a pair of appliances to be implanted, each said appliance having a front end wire ring, a rear end wire ring arranged facing to said front end wire ring, a tubular cover which connects said front end wire ring and said rear end wire ring, and a plurality of intermediate wire rings spaced apart from each other between the front end wire ring and the rear end wire ring, in which each of the wire rings exhibits flexibly foldable elasticity, wherein:

one of said two appliances extends part-way into the other of said appliances in overlapping relationship therewith, the front end wire ring of said one appliance being located in contact against an interior surface of the tubular cover of said other appliance within a space formed between the rear end wire ring of said other appliance and an adjacent one of said intermediate wire rings of said other appliance; and

said front end wire ring of said one appliance, said rear end wire ring of said other appliance, and said adjacent one of said intermediate wire rings are formed as separate closed loops, such that an axial position of said front end wire ring can be adjusted within a range established by said space, to thereby vary an overall length of the appliance implantation assembly.

5. An appliance according to claim 4, wherein each appliance is of uniform cross-sectional shape and size along its axial length.

6. An appliance according to claim 5, wherein a diameter of said one appliance is smaller than a diameter of said other appliance.