Stent graft with longitudinal support member

A vascular repair device, comprising:

• a tubular graft body having a longitudinal axis;
• a structural framework having at least two Z-stents connected circumferentially to said tubular graft body;
• and
• a curved longitudinal support member on one side of a plane parallel to and bisecting a longitudinal axis of said graft body, the longitudinal support member being substantially reverse-mirror symmetrical with respect to said longitudinal axis and having substantially asymptotic ends, and being connected to said graft body independent of said structural framework and having two ends, at least one of said ends having a longitudinal extremity curved back upon itself, and on the other side of the plane the graft body being free of the longitudinal support member.

A vascular repair device, comprising:

• a tubular graft body having a longitudinal axis and having a proximal end and a distal end;
• a structural framework having at least two stents each respectively connected to said tubular graft body adjacent said proximal end and said distal end and defining a separation distance there between;
• and
• a curved longitudinal support member having substantially asymptotic ends, being shorter than said separation distance and being connected to said graft body on one side of a plane parallel to and bisecting a longitudinal axis of said graft body, the longitudinal support member being substantially reverse-mirror symmetrical with respect to said longitudinal axis and between said at least two stents to form a gimbal at at least one of said proximal and distal ends of said graft body, and, on the other side of the plane the graft body being free of the longitudinal support member.

A vascular repair device, comprising:

• a tubular graft body having a longitudinal axis and having a proximal end and a distal end;
• a structural framework having at least first and second pairs of Z-stents each respectively connected to said graft body adjacent said proximal end and said distal end, said stents of each of said first and second pairs of stents being separated from one another at said graft body to define a respective outer stent and a respective inner stent;
• and
• a curved longitudinal, metallic support member having substantially asymptotic ends being substantially reverse-mirror symmetrical with respect to said longitudinal axis and on one side of a plane parallel to and bisecting a longitudinal axis of said graft body and connected to said graft body and an entirety thereof extending between,
• said inner stent of said first pair of stents, and
• said outer stent of said second pair of stents, and, on the other side of the plane the graft body being free of the longitudinal support member.

A vascular repair device, comprising:

• a tubular graft body having a longitudinal axis, a circumference, a proximal end and a distal end;
• a structural framework having at least two pairs of stents each respectively connected to said graft body adjacent said proximal end and said distal end, said stents of each of said pairs of stents being separated from one another at said graft body to define a respective outer stent and a respective inner stent;
• a curved longitudinal support member having substantially asymptotic ends and on one side of a plane parallel to and bisecting a longitudinal axis of said graft body, the curved longitudinal support being substantially reverse-mirror symmetrical with respect to said longitudinal axis and,
• having two ends,
• having a portion between said two ends curved partially around said circumference of said tubular graft body, and
• being connected to said graft body between both of said inner stents of said two pairs of stents such that longitudinal contraction of the graft body is substantially prevented where the support member is connected to the graft body, and, on the other side of the plane the graft body being free of the longitudinal support member.

A vascular repair device, comprising:

• a tubular graft body having a longitudinal axis and first and second ends;
• a structural framework having at least three stents, two of said stents being connected to said tubular graft body adjacent said first end, said two stents being separated from one another on said graft body to define an outer stent and an inner stent, a third of said stents being connected to said tubular graft body adjacent said second end;
• and
• a curved longitudinal support member having substantially asymptotic ends and on one side of a plane parallel to and bisecting a longitudinal axis of said graft body, the longitudinal support member having two ends and being substantially reverse-mirror symmetrical with respect to said longitudinal axis and connected to said graft body between said inner stent and said third stent without touching said inner stent and said third stent such that longitudinal contraction of the graft body is substantially prevented where the support member is connected to the graft body, and, on the other side of the plane the graft body being free of the longitudinal support member.