Vascular graft with improved flow surfaces
AssigneeGore Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
InventorsJames Howard Brauker, Leslie Charles Butters, Daniel Francis Davidson, Mark Joseph Ulm
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Abstract
An ePTFE vascular graft having a smooth PTFE luminal surface which is substantially non-adhesive to occlusive blood components. Preferably the graft is a longitudinally extruded and expanded ePTFE tube of about 10-30 microns mean fibril length and is provided with a luminal surface covering of an ePTFE film of small mean fibril length (5 microns of less) which provides the smooth luminal PTFE surface. The graft is anticipated to be particularly effective as a small diameter graft (6 mm or smaller). It is anticipated to have utility as a conventional vascular graft, as a cardiovascular patch and as an intraluminal vascular graft and as a covering for stents.
Claims86
A vascular graft comprising:
- a substrate;
- and a luminal surface comprising polytetrafluoroethylene provided to the substrate, the luminal surface havinq a surface value of about 1.7 microns RMS, or less;
- and the luminal surface being oriented as a blood contact surface for the vascular graft.
A method of using a vascular graft wherein said vascular graft comprises a substrate having a luminal surface of polytetrafluoroethylene provided to the substrate and wherein the luminal surface has a surface value of about 1.7 microns RMS or less, said method comprising implanting said vascular graft in a living body with the luminal surface in contact with blood.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.