Shaped woven tubular soft-tissue prostheses and method of manufacturing the same

• US 7,550,006 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2002
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lifeshield Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Schmitt, Peter J., Nunez, Jose F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Stewart; Alvin J
• Application Number:
  US10/319,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,385 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.3, 623/1.51, 623/1.52, 623/1.53, 623/1.54, 623/1.11
• US Class Current: 623/1.51
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/06 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/067 modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0017 differing in yarn density
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 3/02 Tubular fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 3/06 Fabrics of varying width
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2509/06 Vascular grafts; stents

Abstract

Continuously flat-woven implantable tubular prostheses have seamless woven sections which gradually change the number of warp yarns to smoothly transition, i.e., taper, from one diameter to another. Multi-diameter endoluminal grafts having a variety of shapes and configurations are made using a seamless weaving process without unacceptable voids or gaps in the tubular wall.

Claims

1. A flat-woven tubular implantable prosthesis comprising:

a tubular wall having opposed open ends defining a fluid passageway therebetween;

said tubular wall comprising a plurality of interwoven monofilament warp yarns and monofilament fill yarns, wherein said monofilament warp and monofilament fill yarns are woven in a sufficiently dense pattern to provide a substantially fluid-tight wall portion;

wherein said tubular wall has a wall thickness less than about 0.16 mm; and

further wherein said dense pattern is free of voids greater than a diameter of about three of said warp yarns.

2. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein said monofilament warp yarns include yarns of thermoplastic materials selected from the group consisting of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene and combinations thereof;

and said monofilament fill yarns include yarns of thermoplastic selected from the group consisting of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene and combinations thereof.

3. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein said tubular wall has a wall thickness from about 0.07 mm to about 0.14 mm.

4. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein said monofilament warp yarns and said monofilament fill yarns are interwoven into a weaving pattern, wherein said weaving pattern is selected from the group consisting of a simple weave, a basket weave, a twill weave and a velour weave.

5. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein said interwoven monofilament yarns are within a distance of about 1 micron from each other.

6. The prosthesis of claim 1, further including a second tubular wall of interwoven monofilament warp yarns and monofilament fill yarns, said second tubular wall being seamlessly and contiguously transitioned from said tubular wall.

7. The prosthesis of claim 6, wherein said second tubular wall includes a plurality of tubular walls.

8. The prosthesis of claim 6, wherein said second tubular wall includes two tubular walls to provide a bifurcated prosthesis.

9. The prosthesis of claim 1, further including a stent.

10. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein said interwoven monofilament yarns are within a distance of about 1 micron from each other.

11. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein said monofilament warp and said monofilament fill yarns have a denier from about 40 to about 300.

12. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein said monofilament warp and said monofilament fill yarns have a denier from about 20 to about 1,000.

13. A flat-woven tubular implantable prosthesis comprising:

a tubular wall having opposed open ends defining a fluid passageway therebetween;

said tubular wall comprising a plurality of interwoven warp yarns and monofilament fill yarns, wherein said monofilament warp and said monofilament fill yarns are closely interwoven to each other within a distance of about 1 micron;

wherein said monofilament wrap and said monofilament fill yarn have a denier from about 20 to about 1,000; and

further within said tubular wall has a wall thickness less than about 0.16 mm.

14. The prosthesis of claim 13, wherein said warp yarns include yarns of thermoplastic materials selected from the group consisting of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene and combinations thereof;

and said fill yarns include yarns of thermoplastic selected from the group consisting of polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene and combinations thereof.

15. The prosthesis of claim 13, wherein said tubular wall has a wall thickness from about 0.07 mm to about 0.14 mm.

16. The prosthesis of claim 13, wherein said warp and said fill yarns are interwoven into a weaving pattern, wherein said weaving pattern is selected from the group consisting of a simple weave, a basket weave, a twill weave and a velour weave.

17. The prosthesis of claim 13, further including a second tubular wall of interwoven warp and fill yarns, said second tubular wall being seamlessly and contiguously transitioned from said tubular wall.

18. The prosthesis of claim 17, wherein said second tubular wall includes a plurality of tubular walls.

19. The prosthesis of claim 17, wherein said second tubular wall includes two tubular walls to provide a bifurcated prosthesis.

20. The prosthesis of claim 13, further including a stent.

21. The prosthesis of claim 13, wherein said monofilament warp and said monofilament fill yarns have a denier from about 40 to about 300.