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

• US 6,245,097 B1
• Filed: 07/21/1998
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• 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): Philogene, Pedro
• Application Number:
  US09/119,849
• Time in Patent Office: 1,057 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/11, 623/12, 606/198, 606/195, 606/194, 606/191, 606/108
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• 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 51₁ 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 device for transporting an appliance to be implanted, comprising a tube having a front end, formed with a side window adjacent said front end, said tube being insertable into the appliance to be implanted, and a wire inserted into the tube through the front end of the tube so as to extend along the side window of the tube, the wire extending out of said side window over which the appliance to be implanted is engageable, said wire extending again into the tube through the side window so as to engage and hold the appliance to be implanted between the wire and the tube;

characterized by that the side window formed in said tube comprises first and second opening holes spaced apart from each other and through which said wire exits and enters the tube, respectively.

2. A device for transporting an appliance to be implanted, described in claim 1 wherein the tube has a portion that in cross section is flat or concaved between the first and the second opening holes.

3. A device for transporting an appliance to be implanted, comprising a tube having a front end, formed with a side window adjacent front end, said tube being insertable into the appliance to be implanted, and a wire inserted into the tube through the front end of the tube so as to extend along the side window of the tube, the wire extending out of said side window over which the appliance to be implanted is engageable, said wire extending again into the tube through the side window so as to engage and hold the appliance to be implanted between the wire and the tube;

characterized by that said tube comprises two tube elements spaced apart from each other and a connector for connecting the tube elements, said side window being formed between said tube elements.

4. A device for transporting an appliance to be implanted, described in claim 3 wherein said connector is shaped in rod form.