Prosthetic repair of body passages

• US 8,088,159 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2004
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vascutek Limited (Terumo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vascutek Limited (Terumo Corporation)
• Inventors: Lauterjung, Karl-Lutz
• Primary Examiner(s): PREBILIC, PAUL B
• Application Number:
  US10/832,159
• Publication Number:
  US 20040199245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,808 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.2, 623/1.16, 623/1.13, 623/2.38, 623/2.4, 623/1.15, 623/1.1, 623/1.35, 623/1.27, 623/1.17, 623/1.22, 606/191, 606/198
• US Class Current: 623/1.35
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/24 Heart valves ; Vascular valves, e.g. venous valves; Heart implants, e.g. passive devices for improving the function of the native valve or the heart muscle; Transmyocardial revascularisation [TMR] devices; Valves implantable in the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2412 with soft flexible valve members, e.g. tissue valves shaped like natural valves check valves with flexible valve members in general F16K15/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2439 Expansion controlled by filaments
• 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 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/954 for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation
• 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 2002/30327 differing in diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30505 spring biased
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/826 more than one stent being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9511 the retaining means being filaments or wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter

Abstract

A prosthesis that resiliently engages a body passage includes an annular clamping ring which may be folded along a diametric axis for insertion into the body passage. The clamping ring is adapted to resiliently spring outwardly, once in position inside the body passage, and to be continually resiliently biased against the interior surface of the body passage. One or more of the clamping rings may be attached to opposed ends of a tubular graft. The rings and connected graft may be positioned in the body passage using a applicator which selectively permits expansion and/or in some embodiments contraction of the annular ring in position within a body passage. Alternatively a retaining member may be used to retain the annular ring in a compressed condition until it is in a desired position within a body passage. Among other potential uses, the present invention may be useful as a vascular stent for treating abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Claims

1. A prosthesis for insertion into a body passage comprising at least two annular resilient elements, each element formed from a plurality of radially overlapping windings of wire, said windings having been wound such that they sustain substantially continuous contact for a complete turn of the annular element, the diameter of each of the annular elements substantially the same as a diameter of at least one of said windings, said annular elements adapted to be folded around their respective diametric axes to assume a smaller cross-sectional configuration;

a flexible tubular graft having a longitudinal axis and two free ends, one of said at least two annular elements attached to one of said two free ends and coaxial with said graft, the other of said at least two annular elements spaced apart from said one of said at least two annular elements; and

a rigid member connected to at least one of said at least two annular elements, said rigid member parallel to the longitudinal axis of said graft and less flexible than said graft.

7. The prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said member is a wire connected to said elements.

14. The prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said annular resilient elements are formed by overlapping a plurality of windings of wire radially on top of one another around a common core, said windings connected to form a bundle.

2. A prosthetic device comprising:

an annular, resilient element formed by overlapping windings of a strand of resilient wire such that the diameter of the annular element is substantially the same as the diameter of at least one of said windings, at least three windings tied together by at least one tie that encircles said windings to form a bundle that has a substantially circular cross-section; and

a fabric graft connected to said element.

3. The device of claim 2 further including a pair of elements, said pair of elements connected by a tubular graft.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein said graft is tubular, said element being connected to one end of said tubular graft, said tubular graft having a first diameter proximate to said connection to said element and a second diameter spaced away from said element, said first diameter being greater than said second diameter.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein said tubular graft is a fabric graft, said element connected to said fabric graft at only one end of said fabric graft.

6. The device of claim 2 wherein said graft is a bifurcated graft connected to said element, said bifurcated graft including a first tubular section connected to said element and a pair of tubular sections connected to said first tubular section, each of said pair of tubular sections having free ends.

8. The device of claim 2 wherein said element is folded along a single diametric axis to adopt a C-shaped configuration.

9. The device of claim 3 further including a second prosthesis comprising a second annular, resilient element formed by overlapping a plurality of windings of wire radially on top of one another around a common core, said windings connected to form a bundle, said second element connected to one end of a second tubular graft, said annular resilient element and graft telescopically engageable with said second prosthesis.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein said pair of elements are connected by a wire, said wire extending along the length of said tubular graft.

11. The device of claim 6 further including a pair of annular elements connected to the free ends of said tubular sections.

12. The device of claim 6 further including a second and a third prosthesis, said second and third prostheses each comprising an annular, resilient element formed by overlapping a plurality of windings of wire radially on top of one another around a common core, said windings connected to form a bundle, said element connected to a graft, each of said second and third prostheses telescopically engageable with one of said pair of tubular sections.

13. The device of claim 12 further including a fourth prosthesis, said fourth prosthesis comprising a fourth annular, resilient element formed by overlapping a plurality of windings of wire radially on top of one another around a common core, said windings connected to form a bundle, said fourth element connected to a fourth graft, said annular resilient element and graft telescopically engageable with said fourth prosthesis.