Left ventricular conduit with blood vessel graft

• US 6,254,564 B1
• Filed: 08/04/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JenaValve Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Percardia, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilk, Peter J., Wolf, Scott J., Phelps, David Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sykes, Angela D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BIANCO, PATRICIA
• Application Number:
  US09/369,061
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 604/8-10, 604/246-47, 604/264, 623/1, 623/11, 623/12, 623/1.1, 623/1.13, 623/1.14, 623/1.24, 606/108, 606/191-200, 606/153
• US Class Current: 604/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2493 Transmyocardial revascularisation [TMR] devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/848 having means for fixation to the vessel wall, e.g. barbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/94 Stents retaining their form, i.e. not being deformable, after placement in the predetermined place
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/962 having an outer sleeve
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/125 Heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 27/002 Implant devices for drainage of body fluids from one part of the body to another intraocular A61F9/00781; middle ear A61F11/202

Abstract

Disclosed is a conduit that provides a bypass around an occlusion or stenosis in a coronary artery. The conduit is a tube adapted to be positioned in the heart wall to provide a passage for blood to flow between a heart chamber and a coronary artery, at a site distal to the occlusion or stenosis. The conduit has a section of blood vessel attached to its interior lumen which preferably includes at least one naturally occurring one-way valve positioned therein. The valve prevents the backflow of blood from the coronary artery into the heart chamber.

Claims

1. A coronary bypass conduit comprising:

a hollow tube having an interior and an exterior and configured to be positioned in a heart wall between a blood vessel and a heart chamber; and

a section of body tissue positioned within said interior of said tube and adapted to allow blood to flow therethrough, wherein the section of body tissue contains at least one naturally occurring valve operable to restrict flow through the conduit from the blood vessel to the heart chamber during diastole.

2. The conduit of claim 1, wherein the section of body tissue is a section of a blood vessel.

3. The conduit of claim 2, wherein the blood vessel is a human vein.

4. The conduit of claim 2, wherein the section of blood vessel is an autograft.

5. The conduit of claim 2, wherein the section of blood vessel is an allograft.

6. The conduit of claim 2, wherein the section of blood vessel is a xenograft.

7. The conduit of claim 1, wherein said heart chamber is a left ventricle.

8. The conduit of claim 1, wherein said heart chamber is a right ventricle.

9. The conduit of claim 1, wherein said heart chamber is a left atrium.

10. The conduit of claim 1, wherein said heart chamber is a right atrium.

11. The conduit of claim 1, wherein said coronary artery is a left anterior descending artery.

12. The conduit of claim 1, wherein said coronary artery is a right coronary artery.

13. The conduit of claim 1, wherein said coronary artery is a circumflex coronary artery.

14. The conduit of claim 1, wherein said coronary artery is a posterior descending artery.

15. A bypass conduit for implantation in a body of a patient comprising:

a hollow tube having an interior and an exterior; and

a section of body tissue positioned within said interior of said tube and adapted to allow blood to flow therethrough, wherein the section of body tissue contains at least one naturally occurring valve operable to restrict flow through the conduit from the coronary artery to the heart chamber during diastole.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the valve restricts flow through the conduit from the blood vessel to the left ventricle during diastole.

17. The conduit of claim 15, wherein the section of body tissue is a section of blood vessel.

18. A method of shunting blood from a first heart chamber or blood vessel to a second heart chamber or blood vessel, comprising:

providing a conduit with two ends and an interior, and containing a section of body tissue positioned within the interior of said conduit, wherein the section of body tissue has at least one naturally occurring valve operable to restrict flow through the conduit from the second heart chamber or blood vessel to the first heart chamber or blood vessel during diastole; and

placing said conduit such that one end of said conduit contacts said first heart chamber or blood vessel and the other end contacts said second heart chamber or blood vessel.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said heart chamber is a left ventricle.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said heart chamber is a right ventricle.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said heart chamber is a left atrium.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein said heart chamber is a right atrium.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein said blood vessel is a left anterior descending artery.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein said blood vessel is a right coronary artery.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein said blood vessel is a left circumflex coronary artery.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein said blood vessel is a posterior descending artery.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein the section of body tissue is a section of blood vessel.

28. A method of shunting blood from a heart chamber to a coronary vessel, comprising:

providing a conduit with two ends and containing a section of body tissue having at least one naturally occurring valve positioned within the interior of said conduit, wherein said naturally occurring valve is operable to restrict flow through the conduit from the coronary vessel to the heart chamber during diastole; and

placing said conduit within a heart wall such that one end of said conduit is in flow communication with said heart chamber and the other end is in flow communication with said coronary vessel.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the valve restricts flow through the conduit from the blood vessel to the left ventricle during diastole.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the section of body tissue is a section of blood vessel.

31. A blood vessel bypass conduit comprising:

a hollow tube having an interior and an exterior adapted to be positioned in a heart wall between a blood vessel and a heart chamber; and

a section of body tissue positioned within said interior of said tube and adapted to allow blood to flow therethrough, wherein the section of body tissue contains a naturally occurring flow control mechanism to restrict blood flow through said tube and body tissue section from the blood vessel to the heart chamber during diastole.

32. The conduit of claim 31, wherein the section of body tissue is a section of blood vessel.

33. The conduit of claim 32, wherein said blood vessel comprises a vein.

34. The conduit of claim 32, wherein the section of blood vessel is an autograft.

35. The conduit of claim 32, wherein the section of blood vessel is an allograft.

36. The conduit of claim 32, wherein the section of blood vessel is a xenograft.

37. The conduit of claim 31, wherein the valve restricts flow through the tube and body tissue section from the blood vessel to the left ventricle during diastole.

38. The conduit of claim 31, wherein the flow control mechanism is configured to flow blood through the tube and body tissue section in predominantly one direction.