System and method for making a calotte-shaped implantable sheath

• US 6,783,556 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2000
• Issued: 08/31/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shlomo Gabbay
• Original Assignee: Shlomo Gabbay
• Inventors: Gabbay, Shlomo
• Primary Examiner(s): Isabella, David J.
• Application Number:
  US09/669,821
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 623/2, 623/99, 623/66, 530/356
• US Class Current: 623/66.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/04 Hollow or tubular parts of organs, e.g. bladders, tracheae, bronchi or bile ducts A61F2/18, A61F2/20 take precedence; devices, other than stent-grafts, providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body other than stent-grafts, e.g. stents A61F2/82; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/06 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/062 Apparatus for the production of blood vessels made from natural tissue or with layers of living cells prostheses made from natural tissue or living cells A61L27/507
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/36 containing ingredients of undetermined constitution or reaction products thereof , e.g. transplant tissue, natural bone, extracellular matrix isolated natural compounds, e.g. collagen A61L27/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 27/3604 characterised by the human or animal origin of the biological material, e.g. hair, fascia, fish scales, silk, shellac, pericardium, pleura, renal tissue, amniotic membrane, parenchymal tissue, fetal tissue, muscle tissue, fat tissue, enamel

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for making a calotte-shaped implantable sheath. A sheet of biological tissue is held against a curved tissue-engaging surface while a fixation solution is applied to at least a substantial portion of the tissue. As a result, at least a portion of the tissue is fixed to a shape that substantially conforms to the shape of the tissue-engaging surface.

Claims

1. A method for forming a calotte-shaped implantable sheath comprising the steps of:

placing a sheet of tissue against a curved surface, wherein the tissue has a perimeter portion;

applying at least one suture through the perimeter portion to hold the tissue against the curved surface during fixation;

fixing the tissue with a fixation solution while at least a substantial portion of the tissue is held against the curved surface so that the at least a substantial portion of the tissue conforms to the shape of the curved surface; and

trimming a peripheral portion from the tissue to form the calotte-shaped implantable sheath.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the curved surface is convex.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tissue is a sheet of animal pericardium.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sheet of animal pericardium has a smooth side that is positioned into engagement with curved surface during fixation.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the curved surface is a semi-spherical surface.

3. A method for forming a calotte-shaped implantable sheath comprising the steps of:

placing a sheet of tissue against a curved surface; and

fixing the tissue with a fixation solution while at least a substantial portion of the tissue is held against the curved surface so that the at least a substantial portion of the tissue conforms to the shape of the curved surface; and

using a generally annular end of a tubular apparatus to hold the tissue against the curved surface during fixation, wherein part of an interior surface of the tubular apparatus and a portion of the tissue extending within the annular end define a volume for holding the fixation solution.

4. A method for forming a calotte-shaped implantable sheath comprising the steps of:

placing a sheet of tissue against a concave surface;

fixing the tissue with a fixation solution while at least a substantial portion of the tissue is held against the concave surface so that the at least a substantial portion of the tissue conforms to the shape of the concave surface, wherein the solution helps to hold the tissue in engagement with the concave surface during fixation.

8. A method for forming a calotte-shaped implantable sheath comprising the steps of:

placing a sheet of tissue against a curved surface;

applying at least one suture through a perimeter portion of the tissue to hold the tissue against the curved surface;

fixing the tissue with a fixation solution while at least a substantial portion of the tissue is held against the curved surface by the at least one suture so that the at least a substantial portion of the tissue conforms to the shape of the curved surface; and

trimming the peripheral portion including the at least one suture from the tissue to form the calotte-shaped implantable sheath.