INTERIOR LINER FOR TUBES, PIPES AND BLOOD CONDUITS

摘要

A tube which circumferentially distends from its initial circumference upon the appli- cation of a circumferentially distending force such as applied by an internal pressure, and which exhibits minimal recoil following the re- moval of the circumferentially distending force. The tube preferably has a second circumfer- ence larger than the initial circumference which remains substantially unchanged by further in- creasing force once it has been achieved. Be- cause of the distensible circumference and min- imal recoil of the tube, the tube is useful as a liner for pipes and vessels and particlarly for pipes and vessels having irregular internal sur- faces towhich the tube can smoothly conform. The tube is preferably made from porous PTFE with thin walls, in which form it is particularly useful as a liner for both living and prosthetic blood vessels and to line anastomoses between living and prosthetic blood vessels.