Kink resistant stent-graft

A stent-graft comprising:

• a stent member having an inner surface and an outer surface;
• a generally tubular graft member having an inner and an outer surface, one of said stent and graft members surrounding at least a portion of the other;
• and
• a ribbon interconnecting less than entirely one of said inner and outer surfaces of said graft member to said stent member.

A stent-graft comprising:

• a stent member having an inner surface and an outer surface, said stent member including a first member and a second member, said first member being arranged in a helical configuration with multiple helical turns, said second member coupling adjacent helical turns;
• a generally tubular graft member having an inner surface and an outer surface, one of said stent and graft members surrounding at least a portion of the other;
• and
• a coupling member coupling less than entirely one of said inner and outer surfaces of said graft member to said stent member.

A stent-graft comprising:

• a generally tubular stent member having inner and outer circumferences, said stent member including a first member and second member, said first member being arranged, in a helical configuration with multiple helical turns and having multiple undulations, each undulation having an apex, said second member being threaded through adjacent apexes in adjacent turns to maintain undulations in adjacent turns generally in-phase with one another;
• a generally flat ribbon helically arranged and disposed to contact at least one of said inner and outer circumferences of said stent member and forming multiple windings spaced from one another;
• and
• a generally tubular graft member disposed within said stent member portions of which are secured to said ribbon.

A method of deploying a stent-graft comprising the steps of:

• placing a first end of a variable length stent-graft having an inner graft member, an outer, helically wound stent coupled to said graft member by a helically wound ribbon with spaced apart turns, at a first site in a mammal;
• moving the second end of the stent-graft toward a second site in a mammal;
• lengthening the stent-graft if the second end does not reach the second site;
• and
• shortening of the stent-graft if the second end extends beyond the second site.

A process for making a stent graft comprising:

• (a) placing a graft around a mandrel;
• (b) positioning a stent having undulations around said graft;
• and
• (c) covering a portion of said stent and graft with a coupling member having a flat surface, to form a stent-graft assembly.