Process for manufacturing three-dimensional braided covered stent

A process for making a medical prosthesis, including:

• providing a plurality of strands for interbraiding at a braiding station, said strands including elastically and plastically deformable structural strands formed of metal and having an original nominal shape;
• moving said strands in concert toward a braiding station;
• while so moving said strands, controllably plastically deforming the structural strands to impart to each structural strand a selected nominal shape;
• and
• at said braiding station, braiding the strands into a three-dimensionally braided structure, and orienting the structural strands while braiding to impart a predetermined configuration to the three-dimensionally braided structure.

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing a plurality of structural strands formed of a thermally formable structural material and having an original nominal shape;
• providing a plurality of compliant textile strands;
• altering the structural strands by winding the structural strands around a selectively sized and shaped mandrel, then heating the strands while so wound to a heat-forming temperature to thermally impart to each structural strand a selected nominal shape in lieu of the original nominal shape;
• and
• after said altering, three-dimensionally braiding the altered structural strands and the textile strands into a three-dimensional integrated structure.

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing a plurality of structural strands formed of structural material and having an original nominal shape;
• providing a plurality of compliant textile strands;
• altering the structural strands to impart to each of the structural strands a selected nominal shape in lieu of the original nominal shape;
• and
• after said altering, three-dimensionally braiding the structural strands and the textile strands into a layered structure having at least first and second discrete layers, in a manner to incorporate a higher proportion of finer strands into the first layer, whereby the first layer has a permeability greater than a permeability of the second layer.

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing a plurality of structural strands formed of structural material having an original nominal shape;
• providing a plurality of compliant textile strands;
• altering the structural strands to impart to each of the structural strands a selected nominal shape in lieu of the original nominal shape;
• and
• after said altering, three-dimensionally interbraiding the textile strands and the altered structural strands into an integrated structure by forming the structural strands into a latticework that shapes the woven structure, and by forming the textile strands into a textile sheeting supported by the latticework, conforming to the latticework, and occupying interstices between adjacent structural strands of the latticework.

A process for making a prosthesis, including:

• providing at least one structural strand formed of a structural material and having an original nominal shape;
• providing a plurality of compliant textile strands;
• altering the at least one structural strand while the at least one strand remains separate from the textile strands, to impart to each structural strand a selected nominal shape in lieu of the original nominal shape;
• and
• after said altering, three-dimensionally braiding the textile strands and the at least one structural strand into an integrated structure in which the at least one structural strand provides a tubular shape of the integrated structure, and the textile strands form a textile sheeting supported by the at least one structural strand and adapted to compliantly conform to changes from the tubular shape due to deformations of the at least one structural strand.