BRAIDED, BRANCHED, IMPLANTABLE DEVICE AND PROCESSES FOR MANUFACTURE THEREOF

摘要

A braided, branching implantable device (50), such as a stent, a graft, or a composite stent-graft, for deployment in a lumen, the device comprising a body (52) that branches into a plurality of legs (54, 56). At least a first leg portion of each leg comprises a discrete plurality of continuous strands (58L, 58R) braided together and at least a first body portion of the body comprises at least one of said continuous strands from each discrete plurality of continuous strands braided together. Processes for fabricating the device and a method for using the device are also claimed. One fabrication process comprises braiding a first plurality of continuous strands to individually form at least a portion of a first leg; braiding at least a second plurality of continuous strands to individually form at least a portion of a second leg; and braiding at least one strand from each of the first plurality of continuous strands and the second plurality of continuous strands together to form at least a portion of the body. This process may be performed using circular braiding equipment. Another process comprises the steps of creating a plurality of flat-braided strips having longitudinal edges; attaching at least one portion of one longitudinal edge of one strip to a corresponding portion of an opposite longitudinal edge of another strip; and continuing to attach selected portions of the longitudinal edges of the plurality of strips to one another until the braided, branched, implantable, tubular device is formed.