Collapsible jacket guard

• US 6,808,534 B1
• Filed: 12/17/2001
• Issued: 10/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lifeshield Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EndoVascular Technologies Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Escano, Arnold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Willse, David H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blanco, Javier G.
• Application Number:
  US10/023,027
• Time in Patent Office: 1,044 Days
• Field of Search: 604/96.01, 606/108, 623/1.11, 623/1.13, 623/1.23, 623/1.35, 623/1.36
• US Class Current: 623/1.23
• 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 2002/065 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 2230/0054 V-shaped

Abstract

An improved reduced diameter intraluminal grafting system capable of deploying a bifurcated graft into a bifurcated vessel is described. The system having a pliable jacket guard configured to ensure atraumatic delivery and deployment of the bifurcated graft. The bifurcated graft is comprised of a main tubular member and two tubular legs with attachment systems configured into each of the three ends of the graft. The bifurcated graft along with the mechanisms required to position and attach the bifurcated graft fit within a single delivery catheter for intraluminal delivery. The bifurcated graft, positioning mechanisms and attaching mechanisms are configured such that a small diameter delivery catheter can be utilized. The methods of positioning and attaching the bifurcated graft are also described.

Claims

1. A system for intraluminally delivering an endovascular device in a corporeal lumen, the system comprising:

a main catheter housing the endovascular device, the main catheter configured as a hollow tube and having a terminal end; and

a balloon catheter having an elongate shaft, an expandable member, and a pliable or collapsible jacket guard that mates with the terminal end of the main catheter, the expandable member is attached to a distal portion of the balloon catheter shaft, the jacket guard is attached to the balloon catheter shaft slightly proximal to the expandable member;

whereby the endovascular device is housed within the main catheter for intraluminal delivery of the endovascular device

wherein the jacket guard includes a first end and a second end, the second end being attached to a ring member, the ring member being slidably disposed about the elongate shaft of the balloon catheter such that the jacket guard second end may be translated about a longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft.

2. The system of claim 1, the endovascular device including:

a bifurcated graft formed of a superior member having a graft bifurcation and extending into an ipsilateral member and a contralateral member;

a set of positioning mechanisms capable of intraluminally positioning the bifurcated graft into the corporeal lumen; and

a set of attaching mechanisms capable of attaching the superior member to the superior vessel, the ipsilateral member to the ipsilateral vessel, and the contralateral member to the contralateral vessel;

wherein the set of positioning mechanisms and the set of attaching mechanisms are housed within the main catheter.

3. The system of claim 2, the set of attaching mechanisms further comprising an expandable anchor attached to the superior member of the bifurcated graft, the expandable anchor being self expanding.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the expandable anchor includes vessel engaging members.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the vessel engaging members are hooks or barbs.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the set of attaching mechanisms includes a first expandable anchor attached to the superior member of the bifurcated graft and a second expandable anchor attached to the ipsilateral member of the bifurcated graft.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the set of attaching mechanisms includes a first expandable anchor attached to the superior member of the bifurcated graft, a second expandable anchor attached to the ipsilateral member of the bifurcated graft and a third expandable anchor attached to the contralateral member of the bifurcated graft.

8. The system of claim 2, the set of positioning mechanisms further includes a main guidewire.

9. The system of claim 1, the jacket guard comprising a pliable material.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the jacket guard first end is affixed to the elongate shaft of the balloon catheter at a location slightly proximal to the expandable member.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the jacket guard first end is affixed by gluing.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the jacket guard first end is affixed by welding.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the pliable jacket guard includes a first compressed profile and a second expanded profile.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second expanded profile is larger than a circumferential profile of the main catheter.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the jacket guard forms an overlap when urged against a superior end of the main catheter.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the expandable member is configured as a jacket guard.

17. The system of claim 16, the expandable member further including an inferior end, the expandable member inferior end being connected to the elongate shaft of the balloon catheter in an inverted fashion.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the expandable member forms an overlap when urged against a superior end of the main catheter.

19. A system for intraluminally delivering an endovascular device in a corporeal lumen, the system comprising:

a main catheter housing the endovascular device, the main catheter configured as a hollow tube and having a terminal end;

a balloon catheter having an elongate shaft, an expandable member, and a pliable or collapsible jacket guard that mates with the terminal end of the main catheter, the expandable member is attached to a distal portion of the balloon catheter shaft, the jacket guard is attached to the balloon catheter shaft slightly proximal to the expandable member whereby the endovascular device is housed within the main catheter for intraluminal delivery of the endovascular device,

the endovascular device being a bifurcated graft formed of a superior member having a graft bifurcation and extending into an ipsilateral member and a contralateral member;

a set of positioning mechanisms capable of intraluminally positioning the bifurcated graft into the corporeal lumen; and

a set of attaching mechanisms capable of attaching the superior member to the superior vessel, the ipsilateral member to the ipsilateral vessel, and the contralateral member to the contralateral vessel;

wherein the set of positioning mechanisms and the set of attaching mechanisms are housed within the main catheter and the set of positioning mechanisms further includes a contralateral guidewire removably attached to the contralateral member of the bifurcated graft.

20. The system of claim 19, the contralateral guidewire further comprising a proximal end and a bulbous portion attached to said proximal end.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the contralateral guidewire is configured as a stiffened rod.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the contralateral guidewire is configured as a coiled wire.

23. A system for placing a bifurcated graft in a lumen formed by a wall proximate a vascular bifurcation having an aneurysm, the system comprising:

a bifurcated graft having a superior extremity, an ipsilateral inferior extremity, and a contralateral inferior extremity;

a balloon catheter having an elongate shaft, an expandable member and a jacket guard; and

a delivery catheter configured to contain the bifurcated graft and having a terminal end that mates with the jacket guard to provide an atraumatic profile, the jacket guard further including a superior end and an inferior end, the superior end being affixed to the elongate shaft and the inferior end being slidable along to the elongate shaft.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the delivery catheter engages the jacket guard inferior end thereby forming an overlap.

25. A method for repairing a bifurcated vascular vessel formed by an upstream vessel, a first downstream vessel, and a second downstream vessel, using a bifurcated graft delivery system having a delivery catheter with a terminal end and a balloon catheter having an elongate shaft an expandable member and a pliable jacket guard, a bifurcated graft formed by an upstream duct, a first downstream duct and a second downstream duct, comprising the steps of:

loading the bifurcated graft into the delivery system,

configuring the jacket guard to mate with the terminal end of the delivery catheter to provide an atraumatic profile, the jacket guard comprising a first end and a second end, the jacket guard second end being attached to a ring member, the ring member being slidably disposed about the elongate shaft of the balloon catheter such that the pliable jacket guard second end may be translated about a longitudinal axis of the elongate shaft;

inserting the bifurcated graft delivery system intraluminally into the bifurcated vascular vessel;

withdrawing the delivery catheter such that the bifurcated graft is exposed within the bifurcated vascular vessel;

positioning the bifurcated graft within the bifurcated vascular vessel, such that the upstream duct extends into the upstream vessel, the first downstream duct extends into the first downstream vessel, and the second downstream duct extends into the second downstream vessel;

anchoring the first downstream duct to the first downstream vessel;

anchoring the second downstream duct to the second downstream vessel;

anchoring the upstream duct to the upstream vessel; and

retracting the delivery system from the vascular vessel.