Endovascular graft joint and method for manufacture

摘要

A joint and method for producing a joint in an endovascular graft. In one embodiment, a flap of a flexible material portion of an endovascular graft is folded about a portion of an expandable member to form a loop portion. The flap is secured in the loop configuration so that tensile force on the expandable member is transferred into a shear force on the fixed portion of the flap.

主权项

1. An endovascular graft comprising:
a tubular graft body having a proximal end and an opposed distal end and further having a longitudinal axis and a circumferential axis, said tubular graft body comprising a plurality of layers of fusible materials;
wherein said plurality of layers of fusible materials comprise:(i) a base layer of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene having a node and fibril structure with the fibrils oriented primarily in a uniaxial direction substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis or substantially aligned with the circumferential axis; and(ii) additional layers of polytetrafluoroethylene disposed about said base layer;wherein said graft body comprises an inflatable channel or cuff comprising at least two seams of fusible material among said plurality of layers of fusible materials to define the inflatable channel or cuff disposed between at least two of said plurality of layers of fusible material; a transversely oriented member disposed near the proximal end of the tubular graft body; and a joint disposed about the transversely oriented member, the joint comprising at least one flap of at least one of the additional layers of polytetrafluoroethylene folded back over the tubular graft body and secured thereto to form a loop portion about the transversely oriented member.