Shaped woven tubular soft-tissue prostheses and methods of manufacturing
AssigneeMeadox Medicals, Inc.
InventorsJose F. Nunez, Peter J. Schmitt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Continuously flat-woven implantable tubular prostheses have seamless woven sections which gradually change the number of warp yarns to smoothly transition, i.e., taper, from one diameter to another. Multi-diameter endoluminal grafts having a variety of shapes and configurations are made using a seamless weaving process without unacceptable voids or gaps in the tubular wall.
Claims33
A flat-woven implantable open-ended tubular prosthesis having a plurality of warp yarns and fill yarns, said tubular prosthesis comprising a first portion and a second portion spaced from said first portion which define therebetween a transition tubular wall extent, said first portion having a first diameter and said second portion having a second diameter different from said first diameter, said tubular prosthesis further including a weaving pattern along said transition tubular wall extent, said weaving pattern having a gradual change in the number of warp yarns to provide a seamless substantially fluid-tight transition between said first portion and said second portion.
A flat-woven implantable tubular prosthesis comprising first and second open ends defining a substantially fluid-tight tubular wall therebetween, said tubular wall including a plurality of warp yarns and fill yarns, said tubular wall being defined by a first elongate woven section with a first selected number of warp yarns therealong to define a first tubular internal diameter, and a second transition elongate woven section seamlessly contiguous with said first woven section and having a weaving pattern incorporating a gradual change in the number of warp yarns therealong to define at least a second tubular internal diameter different from said first tubular internal diameter.
A flat-woven tubular implantable prosthesis having a plurality of warp yarns and fill yarns, said tubular prosthesis comprising first and second open ends defining a substantially fluid-tight tubular wall therebetween, said tubular wall having
- a first woven extent with a first selected number of warp yarns therealong to define a first tubular portion having a constant internal diameter therealong;
- a transitional second woven extent contiguous with said first woven extent with at least a second selected number of warp yarns therealong defining a gradual change in the number of warp yarns to define at least a second tubular internal diameter which is different from said first tubular internal diameter, said transitional second woven extent defining a weaving pattern incorporating a seamless and gradual transition therealong;
- and
- a third woven extent contiguous with said transitional second woven extent, said third woven extent having a third selected number of warp yarns which is different from said first and said at least second selected number of warp yarns, said third woven extent defining a third tubular portion having a constant internal diameter therealong which is different from said first tubular internal diameter and said at least second tubular internal diameter.
A method of forming a seamless flat-woven implantable tubular prosthesis comprising the steps of:
- weaving a substantially fluid-tight tubular wall having a transitional diameter along a longitudinal extent thereof, said weaving including gradually engaging or disengaging warp yarns with fill yarns along said extent to transition from a first diameter to a second diameter different from said first diameter.
A method of making a seamless flat-woven implantable tubular prosthesis comprising:
- weaving a first section of said prosthesis having a first diameter using a first selected number of warp yarns, and
- seamlessly transitioning to a second section of said prosthesis having a second diameter different from said first diameter by gradually engaging or disengaging warp yarns with fill yarns to form a substantially fluid-tight prosthesis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.