Stent graft tapered spring

• US 7,846,195 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Letort, Michel, Berra, Humberto
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, KEVIN THAO
• Application Number:
  US11/849,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• Field of Search: 623 111- 116, 623/1.23, 623/1.35, 623/1.51, 606/191, 606/192, 606/194, 606/195, 606/198
• US Class Current: 623/1.13
• 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 2002/061 provided with means for allowing access to secondary lumens
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/826 more than one stent being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0029 differing in bending or flexure capacity

Abstract

A stent graft includes a stent graft material of cylindrical shape and tapered stent springs coupled to the stent graft material. Each stent spring includes a first stent cell and a second stent cell contiguous with the first stent cell. The first stent cell and the second stent cell are coupled. The second stent cell of each tapered stent spring is smaller than the first stent cell thereby defining a tapered shape to the tapered stent springs. The stent graft is placed in a curved segment of a tortuous body lumen and rotationally positioned such that the smallest stent cell of each tapered stent spring is placed at an inside radius of the curved segment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

forming a first tapered stent spring comprising a first stent cell and a second stent cell contiguous with said first stent cell, wherein said second stent cell of said first tapered stent spring is coupled to said first stent cell of said first tapered stent spring, and further wherein said second stent cell is smaller than said first stent cell;

forming a second tapered stent spring comprising a first stent cell and a second stent cell contiguous with said first stent cell, wherein said second stent cell of said second tapered stent spring is coupled to said first stent cell of said second tapered stent spring, and further wherein said second stent cell is smaller than said first stent cell;

sewing said first tapered stent spring and said second tapered stent spring to a stent graft material, wherein said first tapered stent spring is spaced apart from said second tapered stent spring by a spacing distance.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

rotationally positioning said first tapered stent spring such that said second stent cell of said first tapered stent spring is placed along an inside radius of a curved body lumen; and

rotationally positioning said second tapered stent spring such that said second stent cell of said second tapered stent spring is placed along said inside radius of said curved body lumen.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising

subjecting said first tapered stent spring and said second tapered stent spring to a bending force imposed by said curved body lumen, wherein said spacing distance decreases.