TUBULAR GRAFTS HAVING INDICIA THEREON

• US 3,805,301 A
• Filed: 07/28/1972
• Issued: 04/23/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William J. Liebig
• Original Assignee: William J. Liebig
• Inventors: Liebig, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaudet, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Frinks, Ronald L.
• Application Number:
  US05/275,996
• Time in Patent Office: 634 Days
• Field of Search: 3/1,DIG.1 128/334R,348,349R 138/104,118,123
• US Class Current: 623/1.34
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/06 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: D04B 21/14 Fabrics characterised by the incorporation by knitting, in one or more thread, fleece, or fabric layers, of reinforcing, binding, or decorative threads; Fabrics incorporating small auxiliary elements, e.g. for decorative purposes pile fabrics D04B21/02; non-woven fabrics in general D04H
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2509/06 Vascular grafts; stents

Abstract

Tubular grafts such as vascular grafts which are used in the human body. The graft includes an elongated flexible tubular body having thereon, at its exterior, an elongated line which is visibly distinct from the remainder of the tubular body as by being of a color different from the remainder of the tubular body. This line is situated in such a way that when the graft is used it can readily be angularly oriented about its longitudinal axis so that the graft will not be implanted in a twisted condition, for example, and at the same time the line may also serve for identification purposes as by forming part of a code system which enables the particular graft be identified by the particular nature of the line, such as the color thereof.

Claims

1. A graft comprising an elongated tubular body made of flexible material, said tubular body being a warp knit body having warp ends which extend longitudinally of the tubular body, and one of the warp ends having a color different from the remainder of the warp ends to form at least one longitudinally extending line visibly distinct from the remainder of the tubular body for accurately orienting the tubular body angularly with respect to its longitudinal axis.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said body has a main elongated tubular portion and a pair of subsidiary elongated tubular portions branching from said main tubular portion and providing the body with a substantially Y-shaped configuration, said line extending longitudinally along each of said subsidiary tubular portions and along said main tubular portion.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein there are two lines formed by a pair of warp ends both of which have a c0lor different from the remainder of the warp ends, the latter warp ends extending without interruption along the subsidiary tubular portions and parallel to each other along the main tubular portion.

4. The combination of claim 2 and wherein the line includes a pair of portions extending along the subsidiary tubular portion and a third portion extending along the main portion longitudinally thereof from the intersection between the pair of subsidiary tubular portions.