Woven prosthesis and method for manufacturing the same

• US 8,696,741 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maquet Cardiovascular LLC (Getinge AB)
• Original Assignee: Maquet Cardiovascular LLC (Getinge AB)
• Inventors: Du, George
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, William H.
• Application Number:
  US12/978,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20120165918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.1, 623/1.13, 623 13- 131, 623 149- 153
• US Class Current: 623/1.52
• 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 2210/0076 multilayered, e.g. laminated structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0076 ellipsoidal or ovoid
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/001 for adjusting a diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 13/008 characterised by weave density or surface weight
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 3/02 Tubular fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 3/06 Fabrics of varying width
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 49/68 Reeds or beat-up combs not mounted on the slay loose reed stop motion D03D51/42
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/10 porous
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2509/06 Vascular grafts; stents

Abstract

A woven prosthesis, such as a woven vascular graft, woven from warp and weft yarns. Velour warp yarns forming the prosthesis are selectively incorporated into a base layer of the prosthesis so as to provide a bulbous section without compromising the porosity of the prosthesis.

Claims

1. An implantable medical prosthesis comprising:

a woven base comprising base warp yarns interwoven with weft yarn passes, at least a portion of the warp yarns of the woven base are woven to have a first frequency of interlacing, the woven base at least partially forming smaller and larger diameter portions of the prosthesis; and

one or more velour yarns forming part of both the smaller and larger diameter portions and interwoven with the weft yarn passes to have a second frequency of interlacing that is smaller than the first frequency of interlacing;

in at least a portion of the larger diameter portion at least one of the one or more velour yarns that is interwoven with the weft yarn passes with a second frequency of interlacing is incorporated into the woven base and is interwoven with the weft yarn passes to have a frequency of interlacing that is smaller than the second frequency of interlacing.

2. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein within the smaller diameter portion, the at least one of the one or more velour yarns is not incorporated into the woven base and does not exhibit a weave pattern consistent with the woven base.

3. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein a spacing between the base warp yarns is maintained approximately the same in the smaller and larger diameter portions without adding additional warp yarns to the larger diameter portion beyond that in the smaller diameter portion.

4. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein an increase in diameter of the prosthesis going from the smaller diameter portion to the larger diameter is effected by increasing spacing between the base warp yarns during weaving of the prosthesis.

5. The prosthesis of claim 3, wherein the spacing between the base warp yarns in the larger diameter portion is made smaller without reducing a diameter of the larger diameter portion by at least one of the one or more velour yarns incorporated into the woven base of the larger diameter portion.

6. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the prosthesis is a generally tubular graft and the larger diameter portion lies within a portion of the graft varying in diameter along a longitudinal axis of the graft and the smaller diameter portion lies within a portion of the graft having a generally uniform diameter.

7. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the prosthesis is a generally tubular graft and the larger and smaller diameter portions lie within a portion of the prosthesis varying with respect to diameter along a longitudinal axis of the graft.

8. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein in at least a portion of the smaller diameter portion the one or more velour yarns exhibit a float that is entirely absent or smaller in the larger diameter portion.

9. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein a spacing between the base warp yarns in the smaller diameter portion is within 30% of the size of the spacing in the larger diameter portion.

10. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein a quantity of the base warp yarns and velour yarns is the same in the larger diameter portion as the smaller diameter portion, and wherein the base warp yarns and the velour warp yarns are continuously woven between the smaller diameter portion and the larger diameter portion.

11. The prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the prosthesis comprises a secondary woven layer disposed over at least one of the smaller and larger diameter portions, and wherein a portion of a yarn forming the secondary layer is incorporated into the base layer of the larger portion.

12. An implantable medical prosthesis comprising:

a woven structure comprising warp yarns interwoven with weft passes, all or a portion of the warp yarns together with the weft passes form a woven base of the woven structure;

a first portion of the woven structure is woven with a first set of the warp yarns, a first subset of the first set of the warp yarns interwoven with the weft passes forms the woven base in the first portion, two of the warp yarns in the first subset of the first set of warp yarns in the first portion are laterally spaced apart from each other a first distance along a surface of the prosthesis, the first distance is greater than any spacing between any other pair of warp yarns in the first subset of the first set of warp yarns in the first portion along the surface of the prosthesis;

a second portion of the woven structure is located within the medical prosthesis at a location longitudinally offset with respect to the first portion, the second portion is woven with the first set of the warp yarns, a second subset of the first set of the warp yarns is interwoven with the weft passes and forms the woven base in the second portion, two of the warp yarns in the second subset of the first set of warp yarns in the second portion are laterally spaced apart from each other a second distance along the surface of the prosthesis, the second distance is greater than any spacing between any other pair of warp yarns in the second subset in the second portion along the surface of the prosthesis;

wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance, and the number of warp yarns in the first subset is smaller than the number of warp yarns in the second subset.

13. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 12, wherein the portion of the warp yarns interwoven with the weft passes and disposed in the woven base are arranged in a base weave pattern, and another portion of the warp yarns not disposed in the woven base are velour warp yarns.

14. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 12, wherein the prosthesis is a generally tubular graft, the first portion having a first diameter along a longitudinal axis of the graft, the second portion having a second diameter along the longitudinal axis larger than the first diameter.

15. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 12, wherein in the first portion of warp yarns not in the first subset forming the woven base exhibit a float that is entirely absent or smaller in the second portion.

16. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 12, further comprising a first end and a second end, and wherein essentially all the warp yarns extend between the first and second ends.

17. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 12, wherein the prosthesis comprises a secondary woven structure disposed over at least one of the first and second portions, wherein a portion of a yarn forming the secondary woven structure is incorporated into the woven base of the secondary portion.

18. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 12, further comprising a first end and a second end, and wherein essentially all the warp yarns are continuously woven between the first and second ends.

19. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 12, wherein the first set of warp yarns is a quantity N, the first subset is a quantity of N-1, N-2, or N-3 and the second subset is a quantity larger than the first subset.

20. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 19, wherein N has a value of six.

21. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 16, wherein all the warp yarns are continuously woven with the weft passes between the first and second ends.

22. An implantable medical prosthesis comprising:

a woven base comprising base warp yarns interwoven with weft yarn passes, the base at least partially forming smaller and larger diameter portions of the prosthesis; and

one or more additional warp yarns forming part of and interwoven with the weft passes in both the smaller and larger diameter portions;

in at least a portion of the larger diameter portion but not the smaller diameter portion at least one of the one or more additional warp yarns incorporated into the woven base and exhibiting a weave pattern having the same frequency of interlacing as the woven base.

23. An implantable medical prosthesis comprising:

a prosthesis comprising a woven base, the base forming all or part of the sidewall of a proximal tubular portion, a larger diameter portion, and a distal tubular portion, the larger diameter portion comprises a maximum diameter, the maximum diameter is 4 or more millimeters larger than a measured diameter within the proximal tubular portion, the larger diameter portion has a length between seventy five percent and one hundred fifty percent of the measured diameter within the proximal tubular portion, the proximal tubular portion and the larger diameter portion have a substantially uniform yarn to yarn spacing within the woven base for warp yarns woven with weft passes within the woven base;

the prosthesis comprising a non-base layer comprised of at least a portion of the warp yarns woven with weft passes, wherein a density of the warp yarns within the non-base layer is smaller in the larger diameter portion than at least one of the proximal tubular portion and the distal tubular portion.

24. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 23, wherein the weft passes are woven with the same yarn material and shrinkage attributes throughout the proximal tubular portion, the larger diameter portion, and the distal tubular portion.

25. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 23, wherein the weft passes are woven with the same weft yarn throughout the proximal tubular portion, the larger diameter portion, and the distal tubular portion.

26. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 23, wherein the larger diameter portion is seamlessly woven with the proximal tubular portion and the distal tubular portion.

27. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 23, wherein the same quantity of warp yarns is used to form the proximal tubular portion, the larger diameter portion, and the distal tubular portion.

28. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 23, wherein the larger diameter portion is configured to be dimensionally stable under pressurized conditions of 120 millimeters of Mercury.

29. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 23, wherein the larger diameter portion is configured to maintain its diameter under fluidic pressurized conditions of 120 millimeters of Mercury.

30. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 23, wherein the woven base at the maximum diameter of the larger diameter portion is free of at least one of corrugations, pleats, and crimps.

31. The implantable medical prosthesis of claim 23, wherein the larger diameter portion is dimensionally stable under pressurized conditions of 120 millimeters of Mercury.

32. An implantable medical prosthesis comprising:

a tubular structure having a first open end and a second open end and a sidewall disposed therebetween, the tubular structure comprising a large diameter portion (i) located along a length of the tubular structure but not at the first open end, and (ii) tapering towards and the first open end;

a portion of the tubular structure located between the first open end and the large diameter portion has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the large diameter portion;

wherein the sidewall of the tubular structure comprises a plurality of warp yarns continuously woven with a plurality of weft yarn passes between the first and second open ends; and

wherein a portion of the tubular structure tapering between the large diameter portion and the first open end in a direction towards the first open end has an increase in the ratio of warp yarns woven as a velour layer than a base layer.