Appliance collapsible for insertion into a human organ and capable of resilient restoration

• US 6,364,901 B1
• Filed: 08/04/1999
• Issued: 04/02/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kanji Inoue
• Original Assignee: Kanji Inoue
• Inventors: Inoue, Kanji
• Primary Examiner(s): Prebilic, Paul B.
• Application Number:
  US09/366,418
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/12, 623/1.13, 623/1.28, 623/1.51, 623/23.7, 606/191, 606/194, 606/195, 606/198, 139/387.R, 139/388
• 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 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• 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 2/966 with relative longitudinal movement between outer sleeve and prosthesis, e.g. using a push rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/825 having longitudinal struts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires
• 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 2230/0067 conical

Abstract

An artificial blood vessel A comprises a pair of discrete end wire rings 10₁, 10₂, a tubular cover 7 made of a sheet of flexible, tensile material which connects the end wire rings 10₁, 10₂, and a plurality of intermediate wire rings 12 arranged spaced apart between the end wire rings 10₁, 10₂ and circumferentially fixed to the cover 7 by suturing or with adhesive. All of the rings are located on the outside of the cover. To implant the vessel A via a catheter, a plurality of dividing points 41₁, 43₁ which bisect the circumference of the front end wire ring 10₁ are pulled forward while the movement of the midpoints 42₁, 44₁ between the dividing points 41₁, 43₁ following the movement of the dividing points 41₁, 43₁ is restrained by the projections 18c on a tapered surface 18d of a funneled tube 18 so as to fold the front end wire ring 10₁ into a wavy shape, with the dividing points 41₁, 43₁ forming forwardly directed peaks and the midpoints 42₁, 44₁ forming the bottoms of forwardly directed valleys. The dividing points of the front wire ring are pulled farther forward so as to fold the intermediate wire rings 12 and the rear end wire ring 10₂ into a regular wavy shape having the same phase as that of the front wire ring 10₁ by the effect of restraint by the tapered surface 18d and the projections 18c, thereby to collapse the artificial blood vessel A as a whole into a small size for passage through the catheter. Upon release of the artificial vessel from the catheter at the affected portion of the blood vessel, the artificial vessel is restored to its original shape. The end wire rings, the cover, and the intermediate wire rings alone keep the shape of the artificial vessel.

Claims

1. An appliance to be implanted wherein a plurality of elastically foldable wire rings arranged spaced apart from each other are interconnected by a tubular cover formed with a flexible, tensile sheet and characterized by that said tubular cover is woven with warps along the axial direction of the appliance to be implanted and wefts along the circumferential direction thereof, wherein said warps are of mono-filament of polyester capable of keeping its shape and the wefts are of multi-filaments of polyester having a closeness imparting waterproofness to the sheet.

2. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 1, characterized by that the sheet of said cover is formed into bellows.

3. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 1, characterized by that said tubular cover is coated with waterproofing material.

4. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 2, characterized by that said tubular cover is coated with waterproofing material.

5. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 1, characterized by that said mono-filament is about 15 denier.

6. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 2, characterized by that said mono-filament is about 15 denier.

7. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 3, characterized by that said mono-filament is about 15 denier.

8. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 4, characterized by that said mono-filament is about 15 denier.

9. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 1, characterized by that said multi-filament is about 50 denier.

10. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 2, characterized by that said multi-filament is about 50 denier.

11. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 3, characterized by that said multi-filament is about 50 denier.

12. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 4, characterized by that said multi-filament is about 50 denier.

13. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 5, characterized by that said multi-filament is about 50 denier.

14. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 6, characterized by that said multi-filament is about 50 denier.

15. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 7, characterized by that said multi-filament is about 50 denier.

16. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 8, characterized by that said multi-filament is about 50 denier.

17. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 1, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

18. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 2, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

19. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 3, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

20. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 4, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

21. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 5, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

22. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 6, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

23. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 7, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

24. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 8, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

25. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 9, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

26. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 10, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

27. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 11, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

28. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 12, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

29. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 13, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

30. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 14, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

31. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 15, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.

32. The appliance to be implanted described in claim 16, characterized by that said wire rings comprise a front and rear end wire rings, each of which is discretely arranged facing to the other and connected by said tubular cover, and an intermediate wire ring arranged between said front and rear end wire rings and which is fixedly connected to said tubular cover at appropriate circumferential positions.