Vascular graft and deployment system
OwnerMyles Douglasinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vascular graft includes a main portion and a branch portion that is coupled to the main portion by an articulating joint. The vascular graft may be inserted into the thoracic aorta with the branch portion positioned within a branch vessel and the main portion positioned within the thoracic aorta. The graft may be deployed within a deployment apparatus comprising an outer member and an inner member and a pusher. The main graft portion may be housed within the inner member while the branch graft portion is housed within the space between the inner and outer members. The inner member may have a longitudinal groove for allowing the articulating joint to pass by when the branch graft portion is deployed.
Claims20
A deployment apparatus for a vascular graft having a main portion and a branch portion that is connected to the main portion, the apparatus comprising:
- a main elongate flexible tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending therebetween;
- a second elongate tubular member slidably housed in the lumen of the main elongate tubular member having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen extending therebetween, and a longitudinal groove located on the distal end;
- a pusher slidably housed in the lumen of the main elongate tubular member, located proximal to the second elongate tubular member;
- wherein the main portion of vascular graft is positioned in a compressed state within the lumen of the second elongate tubular member between the distal end of the second elongate tubular member and the pusher and a connection portion of the vascular graft extends, at least partially through the longitudinal groove of the second elongate tubular.
The deployment apparatus as in claim 16, wherein the segmented clips are configured to conform to the second elongate tubular member and allow access to the longitudinal groove.
A branch graft deployment apparatus comprising:
- a sheath that is divided into it a first and second portions that can be separated at a distal portion of the sheath while remaining connected at a proximal portion of the sheath, the sheath configured to surround a branch graft in a compressed configuration;
- a locking mechanism configured to keep the distal portions of the sheath close together so as to restrain the branch graft in a compressed configuration;
- and
- a release mechanism coupled to the locking mechanism.
An apparatus comprising a vascular graft configured for placement in the descending aorta having a main portion and a branch portion that is connected to the main portion by an articulating joint comprising and a prosthetic valve coupled to the main portion of the graft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.