Fenestrated endovascular aortic repair (FEVAR) is a minimally invasive procedure to treat aortic aneurysms that span blood vessels arising from the aorta that supply blood to vital organs including the kidneys, intestine and liver. Endovascular grafts employed in FEVAR define fenestrations for insertion of branch prostheses that serve as passageways for blood flow through arterial branches to vital organs following implantation of the endovascular graft. Maximizing blood flow to vital organs and minimizing endoleaks following repair of aneurysms with fenestrated vascular prostheses, such as juxtarenal aortic aneurysms and short-neck abdominal aortic aneurysms, present medical challenges that must be overcome if additional surgical intervention is to be avoided.
Therefore, a need exits for new and improved endovascular repair devices and methods to treat arterial pathologies, such as juxtarenal and short-neck abdominal aortic aneurysms.
The present invention relates to a vascular prosthesis and a method for its use in treating and repairing arterial vascular damage, such as vascular damage associated with aortic aneurysms and regions of the aorta having arterial branches that supply blood to vital organs and tissues including juxtarenal remote aortic aneurysms and short-neck abdominal aortic aneurysms.
In one embodiment the invention is a vascular prosthesis that includes a luminal graft component, at least one support disk, and a moveable disk. The luminal graft component has a proximal open-end, a distal open end, and defines a main lumen extending from the proximal open end to the distal open end, the luminal graft component defining an outside surface, an inside surface, and at least one graft fenestration. At least one support disk defines a support disk fenestration, wherein the support disk is fixed to the luminal graft component at the graft fenestration, and the support disk fenestration substantially aligns with the graft fenestration. The moveable disk has a diameter greater than that of the support disk fenestration and defines an opening having a diameter smaller than that of the graft fenestration and the support disk fenestration. The moveable disk is moveable between the support disk and the luminal graft component, or between two of the support disks.
In another embodiment, the invention is a method for treating an aortic aneurysm and includes the step of delivering a vascular prosthesis through an artery to the aneurysm of a patient, the aneurysm spanning a region of the artery that includes at least one arterial branch, the vascular prosthesis being radially and releasably constrained by a vascular prosthesis delivery device. The vascular prosthesis includes a luminal graft component having a proximal open end, a distal open end, and defines a main lumen extending from the proximal open end to the distal open end. The luminal graft component defines an outside surface, an inside surface, at least one graft fenestration. The at least one support disk defines a support disk fenestration, wherein the support disk is fixed to the luminal graft component at the graft fenestration, and the support disk fenestration is substantially aligned with the graft fenestration. A moveable disk has a diameter greater than that of the support disk fenestration and defines an opening having a diameter smaller than that of the graft fenestration and the support disk fenestration. The moveable disk is moveable between the support disk and the luminal graft component, or between two of the support disks. At least one support disk fenestration is substantially aligned with at least one arterial branch at the aneurysm of the patient. The vascular prosthesis is at least partially released from the vascular prosthesis delivery device, and at least one branch prosthesis is delivered through the proximal open end or the distal open end of the luminal graft component of the vascular prosthesis, into the main lumen of the luminal graft component, and then through the graft fenestration, the support disk fenestration, and the moveable disk opening, and then a distal end or a proximal end of the branch prosthesis is delivered into at least one arterial branch, thereby treating the aneurysm.
The vascular prostheses of the invention have several advantages by, for example, providing the surgeon with increased flexibility to accommodate anatomical variations in the position of arterial branches at an aneurysm. Specifically, the portion of a fenestration of a luminal graft component of a vascular prosthesis can be adjusted to better fit a branch prosthesis during implantation by employing the vascular prosthesis and method of the invention. The vascular prosthesis of the invention has the additional advantage of improving stability between the fenestration of the vascular prosthesis of the invention and a branch prosthesis following insertion of the branch prosthesis into the fenestration, and of better securing the branch prosthesis within an appropriately sized fenestration for the branch prosthesis, without having to correct for uncertain alignment within an arterial branch, thereby significantly reducing the incidence and severity of endoleaks, branch vessel occlusion and resulting complications.
The foregoing will be apparent from the following more particular description of example embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating embodiments.
The features and other details of the invention, either as steps of the invention or as combinations of parts of the invention will now be more particularly described and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular embodiments of the invention are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principle features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. It is to be understood that the same numerals in different drawings and embodiments of this invention reference the same component part.
The invention is generally directed to stent grafts for use in treating and repairing aortic vascular damage, such as vascular damage associated with an aortic aneurysm in regions of the aorta having arterial branches to vital organs and tissues, such as thoracic aortic aneurysms, abdominal aortic aneurysms, thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms, including juxtarenal aortic aneurysms and short-neck abdominal aortic aneurysms.
A description of example embodiments of the invention follows.
When reference is made herein to a prosthesis, also referred to herein as “stent graft,” “stent graft prosthesis,” and “vascular prosthesis,” to be delivered, or implanted in a patient, the word “proximal” means that portion of the prosthesis or component of the prosthesis that is relatively close to the heart of the patient and “distal” means that portion of the prosthesis or component of the prosthesis that is relatively far from the heart of the patient. A “longitudinal axis,” as that term is defined herein, means an axis along a lengthwise direction of a body that also passes through a center of gravity of the body.
When, however, reference is made to a delivery system or a component of a delivery system employed to deliver, or implant, a prosthesis, the word, “proximal,” as employed herein, means closer to the clinician using the delivery system. When reference is made to a delivery system or a component of a delivery system, “distal,” as that term is employed herein, means, further away from the clinician using the delivery system.
For clarity, the word “proximate” means “close to,” as opposed to the meanings ascribed to “proximal” or “distal” described above with respect to either the prosthesis or a delivery system.
One embodiment of the vascular prosthesis of the invention is shown in
Stents 26 extend longitudinally along outside surface 18 of luminal graft component 12, and include struts 28 that join at opposite ends to define proximal apices 30 and distal apices 32. Optional bare stent 34 at proximal end 14 includes proximal apices 36 and distal apices 38, and is fixed to inside surface 20 of luminal graft component 12 at distal apices 38. Stents 26 and bare stent 34 are formed of a suitable material known to those skilled in the art, such as Nitinol or some other suitable shape memory alloy. Optionally, radiopaque markers 49, such as those known to those skilled in the art, are secured, such as by suturing or employing a biocompatible adhesive, to luminal graft component 12.
Support disk 42 defines support disk fenestration 44 that encompasses fenestration 24 and is fixed to luminal graft component 12. Support disk 42 is formed of a suitable material, such as Nitinol or some other suitable shape memory alloy, PTFE, PET, or silicone. Support disk 42 is fixed to outside surface 18 of luminal graft component 12 by, for example, sutures or by use of a suitable biocompatible adhesive, such as is known in the art. Moveable disk 46 defines opening 48 and lies between luminal graft component 12 and support disk 42.
Optionally, ring 50 is secured to perimeter of moveable disk 46. Ring 50 is secured to perimeter of moveable disk by suitable means, such as is known in the art. As shown in
Although not shown, in an alternative embodiment, support disk 42 is fixed to inside surface 20 of luminal graft component 12, and moveable disk 46 is located between support disk 42 and luminal graft component 12. In either embodiment, fenestration 24, support disk fenestration 44, and moveable disk opening 48 are all aligned, and moveable disk 46 is moveable between luminal graft component 12 and support disk 42. Radiopaque markers 49 are fixed to luminal graft component 12 and distributed about fenestration 24. In an embodiment, at least one of support disk 42, moveable disc 46 and radiopaque markers 49 includes radiopaque material, such as at least one radiopacifier selected from the group consisting of barium sulfate, bismuth, tungsten, platinum, platinum-iridium, tantalum and tantalum-tungsten.
A method for treating an aorta aneurysm, according to embodiments of the invention, includes delivering a vascular prosthesis of the invention through an artery to an aneurysm of a patient, the aneurysm spanning a region of the artery that includes at least one arterial branch, the vascular prosthesis being radially and releasably constrained by vascular prosthesis delivery device. In another embodiment, the invention is a method of delivering and implanting a vascular prosthesis of the invention and a branch prosthesis at an aneurysm of a patient.
With reference to
As can be seen in
Although not shown, the vascular repair device of the invention can be bifurcated and additional branch prostheses can be added to the bifurcated distal end of the vascular prostheses of the invention.
Vascular prostheses of the invention can be implanted, for example, by transfemoral access. Additional branch prostheses that are directed into the vascular prostheses of the invention can be implanted, for example, by supraaortic vessel access (e.g., through the brachial artery or axillary access), or by transfemoral access, or access from some other branch or branch of major blood vessels, including peripheral blood vessels.
The teachings of all patents, published applications and references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The relevant teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,292,943; 7,763,063; 8,308,790; 8,070,790; 8,740,963; 8,007,605; 9,320,631; 8,062,349; 9,198,786; 8,062,345; 9,561,124; 9,173,755; 8,449,595; 8,636,788; 9,333,104; 9,408,734; 9,408,735; 8,500,792; 9,220,617; 9,364,314; 9,101,506; 8,998,970; 9,554,929; 9,439,751; 9,592,112; 9,655,712, 9,827,123, 9,877,857, 9,907,686; U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 14/575,673; 15/166,818; 15/167,055; 14/272,818; 14/861,479; 15/478,424; 15/478,737; 15/587,664; 15/604,032; 15/672,404; 15/816,772; 15/839,272; 15/417,467; PCT/US2017/025844; PCT/US2017/025849; PCT/US2017/025912; PCT/US2017/034223 and PCT/US2017/046062, are also incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The relevant teachings of the “Delivery System For Radially Constricting a Stent Graft and Method of Use,” by Eduardo Alejandro Garcia, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1043-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “System and Method to Radially Constrict Stent Graft,” by Samuel Arbefeuille, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1044-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “Delivery System and Method to Radially Constrict a Stent Graft,” by Timothy Lostetter, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1046-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “Stent Graft Delivery System with Constricted Sheath and Method of Use,” by Timothy Lostetter, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1048-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “Stent Graft with Fenestration Lock and Methods of Use,” by Timothy Lostetter, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1049-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “Stent Graft, Delivery System and Methods of Use,” by Samuel Arbefeuille and Nico Bahar, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1050-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “Vascular Prosthesis with Crimped Adapter and Methods of Use,” by Samuel Arbefeuille, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1052-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “Radially Adjustable Stent Graft Delivery System and Method of Use,” by Samuel Arbefeuille, Eduardo Alejandro Garcia and Scott L. Rush, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1053-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “Vascular Prosthesis with Fenestration Ring and Methods of Use,” by Timothy Lostetter, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1054-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018; “Distal Torque Component, Delivery System and Method of Using Same,” by Samuel Arbefeuille, Attorney Docket No.: 4221.1055-001, filed on Feb. 23, 2018, are also incorporated by reference in their entirety.
While example embodiments have been particularly shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the embodiments encompassed by the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/US2018/019353, which designated the United States and was filed on Feb. 23, 2018, published in English, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/463,049, filed on Feb. 24, 2017. The entire teachings of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62463049 | Feb 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US2018/019353 | Feb 2018 | US |
Child | 16391843 | US |