Helically formed stent/graft assembly

Abstract

The present invention relates to a support structure/membrane composite device which includes a support structure, such as a radially expandable stent, a porous non-textile polymeric membrane adjacent to said stent and a thermoplastic anchor means attaching said stent to said porous non-textile polymeric membrane. The porous non-textile polymeric membrane is preferably made from expandable fluoropolymer materials. The anchoring means is a thermoplastic material which is dissolvable at the interface between the support structure and membrane by a suitable solvent which wets the membrane surface and deposits the thermoplastic material within the pores of the membrane. Methods of preparing the device are also disclosed.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A stent/graft composite device formed from a flat preformed planar strip and stent assembly comprising: 
 an elongate preformed non-textile planar strip of polymeric graft material having first and second opposed surfaces and a planar stent attached onto one of said opposed flat surfaces of said strip to form said flat strip assembly, said strip assembly being helically wound into a continuous tubular structure.    
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein successive helical windings creates an overlap defining a seam between an exterior surface of a first helical wind and a luminal surface of a subsequent helical wind.  
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1  wherein successive helical windings do not overlap.  
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a second elongate preformed planar strip of graft material, wherein said stent assembly is positioned between the two planar graft strips.  
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4  wherein said planar graft strips are laminated together to form said strip assembly.  
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said polymeric graft material is selected from the group consisting of fluoropolymers, polyurethanes, silicones and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said polymeric graft material comprises ePTFE.  
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said tubular structure has a generally circular cross-section.  
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said planar stent comprises a plurality of stent wires.  
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said planar stent comprises plurality of linked stent wires.  
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said planar stent is comprised of nitinol.  
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said planar stent comprises at least one planar stent wire.  
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1  wherein said planar stent comprises at least one planar ribbon stent.