Method and system of attaching vessels to grafts

Abstract

A suture-less graft coupling system for anastamosis and bypass procedures comprising a first stent for insertion into a radially transected vessel being treated, a graft member overlapping the stented area of the transected vessel, and a second stent overlapping the graft and vessel in an area of the first stent wherein sealing pressure from the second stent can be applied to seal the vessel and graft in a leak-free arrangement.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a clamped and transected vessel about to receive a stent according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a stented vessel configured to be inserted in a graft vessel according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an outer stent positioned over an area of overlap of a stented vessel and graft vessel intersection according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a sealed stented vessel and graft anastamosis according to the invention.

Claims

1. A graft coupling system comprising: a first stent for insertion in a transected vessel receiving a graft, said stent providing a rigid conduit for blood flow through said vessel and sized to allow a graft to be advanced to overlap at least part of a stented-area of said vessel; anda second stent for surrounding at least a part of said area of overlap between said graft and said stented area, said second stent configured to apply sealing pressure to said graft in a part of said area of overlap, whereby said first and second stents sandwich said graft to provide a fluid tight seal between said vessel and said graft.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first stent is sized to approximate the diameter of the transected vessel.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said first stent comprises an expandable stent.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said first stent comprises nitinol.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said second stent applies sealing pressure via elastic springback.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said second stent applies sealing pressure via thermal shrinking.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said thermal shrinking is caused by warming said second stent to body temperature.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said first stent includes barbs for anchoring said stent in said transected vessel.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said second stent includes barbs for anchoring said stent to at least a portion of said graft.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a third stent, wherein said graft receives said third stent and is inserted into said transected vessel.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said first stent extends outside said vessel and into an interior of said graft.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said first stent is configured to be deployed into said vessel prior to transection.

13. A method of attaching a vessel to a graft at a target site comprising: clamping the vessel up-stream from the target site;circumferentially transecting the vessel in an area of the target site;inserting a first stent into the transected vessel, wherein the stent radius approximates the radius of the vessel after deployment of said stent;overlapping the graft vessel with at least a portion of the transected vessel in the area of the first stent; andplacing a second stent around at least a portion of the area of overlap of the vessel and the graft, wherein said second stent is configured to provide a sealing force to the portion of the area of overlap.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the graft vessel receives and overlaps at least a portion of the transected vessel in the area of the first stent.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said transected vessel receives and overlaps at least a portion of the graft.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of inserting a third stent into said graft prior to insertion into said transected vessel.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said first stent and said second stent cooperate to provide sealing pressure less than that which may cause necrosis.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of delivering said first stent to said target area prior to transecting the vessel.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein said stent a collapsible stent that is balloon inflated to an expanded diameter in said vessel.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of thermally shrinking said second stent onto at least a portion of said graft in said area of overlap.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of allowing said second stent to elastically springback to provide sealing force to at least a portion of said area of overlap.