Endoluminal prosthesis

• US 6,334,869 B1
• Filed: 03/14/2000
• Issued: 01/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: World Medical Manufacturing Corp. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: World Medical Manufacturing Corp. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Greenan, Trevor, Leonhardt, Howard J., Taheri, Syde A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robert, Eduardo C.
• Application Number:
  US09/525,740
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.13, 623/1.14, 623/1.25, 623/1.36, 623/1.1, 623/1.23, 623/1.32, 623/23.64, 623/23.7
• US Class Current: 623/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12022 Occluding by internal devices, e.g. balloons or releasable wires plugging an opening in the wall of an organ A61B17/0057; occluders for the cervical canal A61F6/146; vas deferens occluders A61F6/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12118 for positioning in conjunction with a stent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1219 expandable in contact with liquids
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• 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 2/954 for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/061 provided with means for allowing access to secondary lumens
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30092 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30448 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0014 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/005 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0013 Horseshoe-shaped, e.g. crescent-shaped, C-shaped, U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/004 characterized by lumina being arranged circumferentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/09183 having tools at the distal tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/1052 for temporarily occluding a vessel for isolating a sector
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/0266 : Shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/127 : Aorta
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1011 : Multiple balloon catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/10184 : Means for controlling or monitoring inflation or deflation
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 29/02 : Dilators made of swellable material balloon catheters for angioplasty A61M25/104

Abstract

An apparatus and method for engrafting a blood vessel are disclosed. The apparatus includes a tubular graft having radially compressible annular spring portions for biasing proximal and distal ends of the graft into conforming fixed engagement with an interior surface of the vessel, with bifurcated and adjustable length embodiments being disclosed. Apparatus for deploying the graft includes an insertion catheter having a nitinol core wire, a controllable tip balloon-at a remote end thereof for dilation and occlusion of the vessel, and a controllable graft balloon in the vicinity of the tip balloon for fixedly seating the spring portions into conformance with the interior surface of the vessel. A spool apparatus for adjusting or removing an improperly placed graft, and a micro-emboli filter tube, are usable with the deployment apparatus. A method of percutaneously implanting a graft, including a single-entry method for percutaneously implanting a bifurcated graft, are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An endoluminal prosthesis comprising:

a tubular graft having a proximal end, a distal end and an inner surface, and including a tubular bio-compatible graft material for conducting body fluid and a compressible self-expanding support structure coupled to said graft material, wherein said self-expanding support structure biases said graft against an interior surface of a lumen to provide a prosthetic lumen formed by said inner surface of said tubular graft, and wherein said graft material is coupled to said support structure such that said support structure is substantially separated from fluid flowing through said prosthetic lumen;

a proximal anchoring device disposed proximal of said tubular graft; and

a longitudinally extending connector coupling said proximal anchoring device to said tubular graft.

2. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said connector is coupled to said support structure.

3. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said connector comprises a bar.

4. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said connector is coupled to said proximal end said graft.

5. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said anchoring device comprises a compressible self-expanding support structure.

6. An endoluminal prosthesis comprising:

a tubular graft having a proximal end, a distal end and an inner surface, and including a tubular bio-compatible graft material for conducting body fluid and an expandable support structure coupled to said graft material, wherein said expandable support structure comprises a plurality of annular members for biasing said graft against an interior surface of a lumen to provide a prosthetic lumen formed by said inner surface of said tubular graft;

a plurality of releasable tissue adhesive packets fixed to an exterior surface of said graft material; and

a longitudinally extending connector coupling said plurality of annular members,

wherein said graft material is coupled to said support structure such that said support structure is substantially separated from fluid flowing through said prosthetic lumen.

7. An endoluminal prosthesis comprising:

a tubular graft of a bio-compatible material for conducting body fluid, said tubular graft having a proximal end and a distal end and an inner surface;

an expandable support structure coupled to said graft material, said support structure comprising a proximal annular structure for biasing said proximal end of said tubular graft against an interior surface of a lumen to provide a prosthetic lumen formed by said inner surface of said tubular graft, wherein said proximal annular structure includes peaks and valleys forming projections; and

a plurality of radially distensible finger portions comprised of said projections of said support structure covered by said graft material and said valleys between said projections not covered by said graft material.