Circumferentially constraining sutures for a stent-graft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9427307-B2
Application number	US-201514603684-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2015
Priority date	Apr 27, 2012
Publication date	Aug 30, 2016
Grant date	Aug 30, 2016

Abstract

A circumferentially constraining suture for an endovascular prosthesis having a tubular body and a plurality of stents coupled to the tubular body includes a first thread coupled at a first end to one of the stents and a first thread loop disposed opposite the first end. The first thread extends only partially around a circumference of the tubular body in a radially expanded configuration. A second thread having a second thread loop is interlocked with the first thread loop and extends from the first thread loop around a remainder of the circumference of the tubular body. Pulling the second thread causes the first thread to circumferentially constrain the tubular body to a reduced diameter configuration. A trigger wire inserted through the first thread loop retains the first thread such that the tubular body is in the reduced diameter configuration after removal of the second thread.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of temporarily reducing the diameter of at least a portion of a self-expanding endovascular prosthesis, the prosthesis comprising a tubular body of a biocompatible graft material and a self-expanding stent, the method comprising the steps of:
interlocking a first thread having a first thread loop with a second thread having a second thread loop;
attaching the first thread at a first end opposite the first thread loop to the tubular body;
extending the first thread around a first portion of a circumference of the tubular body and the second thread around a second portion of the circumference of the tubular body;
pulling the second thread to cause the first loop of the first thread to move along the second portion of the circumference to reduce the diameter of the tubular body; and
after the pulling of the second thread to reduce the diameter of the tubular body, inserting a trigger wire through the first thread loop.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of removing the second thread after the trigger wire is inserted through the first thread loop.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of attaching the first end of the first thread loop to the tubular body comprises tying the first thread to the stent.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of attaching the first end of the first thread loop to the tubular body comprises tying the first end to a strut of the stent.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of attaching the first end of the first thread loop to the tubular body comprises wrapping a portion of the first thread loop around a strut of the stent and pulling the remainder of the first thread loop through the portion of the first thread loop wrapped around the strut.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second thread includes a pull tab disposed at a first end of the second thread opposite the second thread loop and where the step of pulling the second thread comprises pulling the pull tab.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of inserting the trigger wire through the first thread loop comprises inserting the trigger wire in a longitudinal direction relative to the tubular body.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the self-expanding endovascular prosthesis comprises a plurality of self-expanding stents, a plurality of first threads having first thread loops, and a plurality of second threads having second thread loops,
wherein the steps of interlocking, attaching, extending, and pulling comprise performing these steps with each of the plurality of first threads and second threads corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of self expanding stents, and
wherein the step of inserting a trigger wire through the first thread loop comprises inserting the trigger wire through each of the first thread loops.

9. A method of temporarily reducing the diameter of at least a portion of a self-expanding endovascular prosthesis, the prosthesis comprising a tubular body of a biocompatible graft material and a self-expanding stent, the method comprising the steps of:
directly interlocking a first thread having a first thread loop with a second thread having a second thread loop;
attaching the first thread at a first end opposite the first thread loop to the tubular body;
extending the first thread around a first portion of a circumference of the tubular body and the second thread around a second portion of the circumference of the tubular body;
pulling the second thread to cause the first loop of the first thread to move along the second portion of the circumference to reduce the diameter of the tubular body; and
inserting a trigger wire through the first thread loop.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the step of removing the second thread after the trigger wire is inserted through the first thread loop, wherein the trigger wire and the first thread maintain the reduced diameter of the tubular body.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of attaching the first end of the first thread loop to the tubular body comprises attached the first thread to the stent.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second thread includes a pull tab disposed at a first end of the second thread opposite the second thread loop and where the step of pulling the second thread comprises pulling the pull tab.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of inserting the trigger wire through the first thread loop comprises inserting the trigger wire in a longitudinal direction relative to the tubular body.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the self-expanding endovascular prosthesis comprises a plurality of self-expanding stents, a plurality of first threads having first thread loops, and a plurality of second threads having second thread loops,
wherein the steps of directly interlocking, attaching, extending, and pulling comprise performing these steps with each of the plurality of first threads and second threads corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of self expanding stents, and
wherein the step of inserting a trigger wire through the first thread loop comprises inserting the trigger wire through each of the first thread loops.

15. A method of temporarily reducing the diameter of at least a portion of a self-expanding endovascular prosthesis, the prosthesis comprising a tubular body of a biocompatible graft material and a self-expanding stent, the method comprising the steps of:
interlocking a first thread having a first thread loop with a second thread having a second thread loop;
attaching the first thread at a first end opposite the first thread loop to the tubular body;
extending the first thread around a first portion of a circumference of the tubular body and the second thread around a second portion of the circumference of the tubular body;
pulling the second thread to cause the first loop of the first thread to move along the second portion of the circumference to reduce the diameter of the tubular body; and
inserting a trigger wire through the first thread loop and not through the second thread loop.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising the step of removing the second thread after the trigger wire is inserted through the first thread loop, wherein the trigger wire and the first thread maintain the reduced diameter of the tubular body.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of attaching the first end of the first thread loop to the tubular body comprises attached the first thread to the stent.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second thread includes a pull tab disposed at a first end of the second thread opposite the second thread loop and where the step of pulling the second thread comprises pulling the pull tab.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of inserting the trigger wire through the first thread loop comprises inserting the trigger wire in a longitudinal direction relative to the tubular body.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the self-expanding endovascular prosthesis comprises a plurality of self-expanding stents, a plurality of first threads having first thread loops, and a plurality of second threads having second thread loops,
wherein the steps of interlocking, attaching, extending, and pulling comprise performing these steps with each of the plurality of first threads and second threads corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of self expanding stents, and
wherein the step of inserting a trigger wire through the first thread loop and not through the seco

Assignees

• Medtronic Vascular Inc

Inventors

• Pearson Meghan
• Simmons Emilie
• Pearce Stephen
• Rundle Stephannie
• Zavala Ana

Classifications

• A61F2/9517

  handle assemblies therefor · CPC title

• Y10T29/49863

  with prestressing of part · CPC title

• A61F2002/9511

  the retaining means being filaments or wires · CPC title

• A61F2/954

  for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation · CPC title

• A61F2/07 Primary

  Stent-grafts · CPC title