Endovascular graft joint and method for manufacture

• US 7,090,693 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2001
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Endologix
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Chobotov, Michael V., Stephens, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Isabella, David J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chattopadhyay, Urmi
• Application Number:
  US10/029,584
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.1, 623/1.12, 623/1.13, 623/1.33, 623/11.11, 623/1.44, 623/1, 623/12, 623/1.23, 623/1.32, 623/1.36, 606/36, 606191-198
• US Class Current: 623/1.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• 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 2002/072 Encapsulated stents, e.g. wire or whole stent embedded in lining
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0076 multilayered, e.g. laminated structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0003 having an inflatable pocket filled with fluid, e.g. liquid or gas
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0028 differing in fibre orientations
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/44 rotatable about the axis of the article
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/00 Joining or sealing of preformed parts , e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor general aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts B29C66/00; using porous material formed by internal pressure generated therein for joining preformed parts B29C44/1228, B29C44/326
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/18 using heated tools
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/48 using adhesives , i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/4815 Hot melt adhesives, e.g. thermoplastic adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/482 Drying adhesives, e.g. solvent based adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/483 Reactive adhesives, e.g. chemically curing adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/12261 the two joint-segments being bevelled, e.g. the two joint-segments forming a V
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/24 said joint lines being closed or non-straight
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/43 Joining a relatively small portion of the surface of said articles B29C66/45 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/4322 by joining a single sheet to itself B29C66/4332 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/438 Joining sheets for making hollow-walled, channelled structures or multi-tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/49 : Internally supporting the, e.g. tubular, article during joining B29C66/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/494 : using an inflatable core
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/65 : with a relative motion between the article and the welding tool B29C65/10, B29C65/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 : characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/723 : being multi-layered B29C66/7292, B29C66/72941 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/7234 : comprising a barrier layer
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81422 : being convex
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8161 : said pressing elements being supported or backed-up by springs or by resilient material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/81812 : the welding jaws being cooled from the outside, e.g. by blowing a gas or spraying a liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8221 : Scissor or lever mechanisms, i.e. involving a pivot point
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8222 : Pinion or rack mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/836 : Moving relative to and tangentially to the parts to be joined, e.g. transversely to the displacement of the parts to be joined, e.g. using a X-Y table B29C66/65 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/18 : PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluorethene , e.g. ePTFE, i.e. expanded polytetrafluorethene
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2022/02 : Inflatable articles balls B29L2031/54 ; inner tyres B29L2023/245
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2022/022 : Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7546 : Surgical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1002 : with permanent bending or reshaping or surface deformation of self sustaining lamina

Abstract

A joint and method for producing a joint in an endovascular graft. In one embodiment, a flap of a flexible material portion of an endovascular graft is folded about a portion of an expandable member to form a loop portion. The flap is secured in the loop configuration so that tensile force on the expandable member is transferred into a shear force on the fixed portion of the flap.

Claims

1. An endovascular graft or section thereof comprising:

a generally tubular flexible material portion comprising a plurality of layers; and

a serpentine expandable member circumferentially oriented about a circumference of the generally tubular flexible material portion, wherein the expandable member is secured to the generally tubular flexible material portion with a joint that includes at least one flap of the flexible material portion folded back to form a loop portion about the serpentine expandable member, wherein the flap of flexible material comprises a layer that is secured to itself and another layer, and further wherein two adjacent layers are selectively attached to each other to form an inflatable channel between the two adjacent layers.

2. The endovascular graft or section thereof of claim 1 wherein the serpentine expandable member comprises a first set of apices that are directed in a first direction and a second set of apices that are directed in a direction substantially opposite of the first direction,

wherein at least some of the apices in the first set further comprise connector elements that extend in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the generally tubular flexible material portion and beyond an edge of the generally tubular flexible material portion.

3. The endovascular graft or section thereof of claim 1 wherein the inflatable channel comprises a plurality of circumferential rings.

4. An endovascular graft or section thereof comprising:

a multi-layered flexible material portion that comprises at least two layers;

an inflatable channel formed between two layers of the flexible material portion;

an expandable member positioned at or adjacent an end of the flexible material portion,

wherein the expandable member is secured to at least one layer of the flexible material portion with a joint that includes at least one flap of the flexible material folded back to form a loop portion about the expandable member, wherein the flap of flexible material comprises a layer that is secured to itself and another layer.

5. The endovascular graft or section thereof of claim 4 wherein the inflatable channel comprises a plurality of circumferential rings.

6. An endovascular graft or section thereof comprising:

a multi-layered flexible material portion that comprises at least two layers;

an inflatable channel formed between two layers of the flexible material portion;

an expandable member positioned at or adjacent an end of the flexible material portion,

wherein the expandable member is secured to at least one layer of the flexible material portion with a joint that includes at least one flap of the flexible material folded back to form a loop portion about the expandable member, wherein the flap of flexible material comprises a layer that is secured to another layer.

7. The endovascular graft or section thereof of claim 6 wherein the inflatable channel comprises a plurality of circumferential rings.