Stent-graft

A stent-graft comprising:

• a graft defining an elongate lumen having a longitudinal axis;
• a plurality of discrete ring stents having a plurality of struts and apices between the struts, the apices including proximal apices and distal apices;
• a running suture attaching at least one stent of the plurality of stents to the graft, the running suture comprising:
• at least first and second knots knotted along the length of each strut at intermediate points on the struts away from the proximal and distal apices,
• a length of running suture running between the first and a second knots on each strut, and
• a first bridging portion extending between a first knot on a first strut adjacent a proximal apex and a first knot on a second strut adjacent the proximal apex, and a second bridging portion extending from a second knot on a second strut adjacent a distal apex to a second knot on a third strut adjacent the distal apex.

An aortic stent-graft comprising:

• a graft defining an elongate lumen having a longitudinal axis;
• an external zig zag stent having a plurality of struts and apices between the struts, the apices including proximal apices and distal apices, the stent extending around an external circumference of the graft;
• a set of removable proximal sutured knots, the proximal sutured knots securing the proximal apices of the stent to the graft;
• a set of removable distal sutured knots, the distal sutured knots securing the distal apices of the stent to the graft;
• and
• a plurality of intermediate sutured knots separate from the set of removable proximal and distal knots, formed along a running suture, the running suture including a plurality of bridging portions, the bridging portions disposed transverse to the longitudinal axis of the lumen and bridging between adjacent struts of the stent, the intermediate sutured knots securing struts of the stent to the graft.