Lymph conduction system implant and method of using same
AssigneeBard Peripheral Vascular, Inc.
InventorSummer Ford
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Abstract
A lymph conduction system implant includes a stent graft and a porous membrane. The stent graft has a non-porous tubular side wall. The non-porous tubular side wall has a proximal end and a distal end. The non-porous tubular side wall is configured to define a lumen having an inflow port at the proximal end and an outflow port at the distal end. All exposed surfaces of the stent graft are made of a first biocompatible material. The porous membrane is connected to the proximal end of the non-porous tubular side wall of the stent graft. The porous membrane is configured to span an entirety of a transverse area of the inflow port of the lumen of the stent graft. The porous membrane is made of a second biocompatible material.
Claims3
A method of using a lymph conduction system implant, the method comprising:
- positioning the lymph conduction system implant in a lymphatic vessel in a lymphangion between an entry valve in an inferior lymphangion region of the lymphangion and an exit valve in a superior lymphangion region of the lymphangion and, wherein a distal end of a stent graft of the lymph conduction system implant is positioned adjacent to the exit valve in the superior lymphangion region and a proximal end of the stent graft is positioned with a porous membrane thereof facing the entry valve in the inferior lymphangion region, so as to generate a pressure difference as well as a concentration gradient as an influx of lymph fluid enters the inferior lymphangion region at a location proximal to the lymph conduction system implant through junctions between endothelial cells of the lymphatic vessel, wherein a length of the lymph conduction system implant is no more than one-half of an overall length of the lymphangion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.