Medical prostheses having bundled and non-bundled regions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10265200-B2
Application number	US-201013814179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2010
Priority date	Aug 10, 2010
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

The present embodiments provide an endoluminal prosthesis, such as a stent-graft, having a relatively low delivery profile. In one embodiment, the prosthesis comprises a membrane, and at least one stent having contracted and expanded states, where the stent is coupled to the membrane and maintains patency in the expanded state. The prosthesis further may comprise selectively oriented axial and/or circumferential fibers arranged at predetermined locations along the length and circumference of the prosthesis. An increased population density of the circumferential and/or axial fibers may be provided in areas in which the at least one stent portion is attached to the membrane, or in areas of higher physiological loads imposed upon the endoluminal prosthesis. Selectively orienting axial fibers and circumferential fibers at predetermined locations along the length and circumference of the prosthesis, but not continuously along the entire prosthesis, significantly reduces delivery profile due to the reduction in graft material.

First claim

We claim:

1. An endoluminal prosthesis, comprising:
a membrane having a lumen for allowing fluid flow; and
a plurality of circumferential fibers coupled to the membrane that form at least one bundled region in which at least two adjacent circumferential fibers are separated by a first spacing, and that form at least one-non-bundled region in which at least another two adjacent circumferential fibers are separated by a second spacing, where the first spacing is less than the second spacing, the second spacing is at least three times greater than the first spacing, and the circumferential fibers are not interwoven with any other fiber, and where each of the plurality of circumferential fibers extends around an entire circumference of the membrane.

2. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 where at least one stent is coupled to the membrane using sutures only in at least one of the bundled regions.

3. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 2 where the stent comprises a zig-zag shape having proximal and distal apices, where at least one of the proximal apices of the stent is secured to the membrane at a proximal bundled region, and where at least one of the distal apices of the stent is secured to the membrane at a distal bundled region, where the proximal and distal bundled regions are separated by at least one non-bundled region.

4. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of axial fibers extending in a direction that is generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the endoluminal prosthesis.

5. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 4 , where the plurality of axial fibers overlap with at least one bundled region of circumferential fibers at intersections, and where at least one portion of a stent is secured to the membrane at one of the intersections.

6. An endoluminal prosthesis, comprising:
a membrane having a lumen for allowing fluid flow;
a plurality of axial fibers extending generally along a longitudinal axis of the endoluminal prosthesis, where each of the plurality of axial fibers are separated from one another by a spacing, and each of the plurality of axial fibers extends along the length of the membrane; and
a plurality of circumferential fibers disposed generally perpendicular to the plurality of axial fibers, where at least one circumferential fiber is separated from a first adjacent circumferential fiber by a first spacing, and where the at least one circumferential fiber is separated from a second adjacent circumferential fiber by a second spacing, where the second spacing is at least three times greater than the first spacing, and the circumferential fibers are not interwoven with any other fiber, and where each of the plurality of circumferential fibers extends around an entire circumference of the membrane.

7. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 6 where at least one axial fiber is separated from a first adjacent axial fiber by a first spacing of axial fibers, and where the at least one axial fiber is separated from a second adjacent axial fiber by a second spacing of axial fibers, where the first spacing of axial fibers is less than the second spacing of axial fibers.

8. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 7 where at least one stent is coupled to the membrane at an intersection where the at least one axial fiber and the first adjacent axial fiber meet at least one of the circumferential fibers.

9. An endoluminal prosthesis, comprising:
a membrane having a lumen for allowing fluid flow;
a plurality of circumferential fibers coupled to the membrane that form at least one bundled region in which at least two adjacent circumferential fibers are separated by a first spacing, and that form at least two non-bundled regions where in each of the non-bundled regions at least another two adjacent circumferential fibers are separated by a second spacing, where the first spacing is less than the second spacing;
at least one stent, where the at least one stent is sutured to the membrane only at the bundled regions; and
a plurality of axial fibers extending generally along a longitudinal axis of the endoluminal prosthesis, where at least one axial fiber is separated from a first adjacent axial fiber by a first spacing of adjacent axial fibers, and where at least one axial fiber is separated from a second adjacent axial fiber by a second spacing of adjacent axial fibers,
wherein the stent comprises a plurality of proximal and distal apices and wherein at least one of the proximal and distal apices of the stent is aligned with at least one axial fiber.

10. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 9 wherein the second spacing is at least three times greater than the first spacing.

11. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 9 where the at least one stent is coupled to the membrane at an intersection where at least one axial fiber meets at least one of the circumferential fibers.

12. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 9 wherein the first spacing of adjacent axial fibers is substantially equal to the second spacing of adjacent axial fibers.

13. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 9 wherein the first spacing of adjacent axial fibers is less than the second spacing of adjacent axial fibers.

14. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 9 wherein the membrane has an interior surface and an exterior surface and wherein at least one axial fiber is disposed on the exterior surface of the membrane.

15. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 14 wherein the at least one stent is disposed between the interior surface of the membrane and the at least one axial fiber.

16. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 9 wherein a film is disposed over the at least one axial fiber thereby encapsulating the fiber between the membrane and the film.

17. The endoluminal prosthesis of claim 16 wherein the film comprises a polymeric material.

Assignees

• Charlebois Steven J
• Dierking William Kurt
• Huser Matthew S
• Milner Keith
• Sun Jichao
• Cook Medical Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Charlebois Steven J
• Dierking William Kurt
• Huser Matthew S
• Milner Keith
• Sun Jichao

Classifications

• A61F2002/075

  the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching · CPC title

• A61F2250/0017

  differing in yarn density · CPC title

• A61F2250/0028

  differing in fibre orientations · CPC title

• A61F2/07 Primary

  Stent-grafts · CPC title

• A61F2/89

  the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members · CPC title