Kips Bay Medical, Inc.

Medtronic, Inc.

Neograft Technologies, Inc.

Sofradim Production

Vascular Graft Colutions Ltd.

Kps Bay Medical, Inc.

Michael F Wolf

Nasser Rafiee

Peter Paul Zilla

Deon Bezuidenhout

Mark Yeoman

Thomas Franz

Hellmut C Bowles

Nareak Douk

Paul V Trescony

Paul Human

Elaine P Lindell

Richard L Molacek

Laurie A Yunker

James R Keogh

Markus W Reiterer

Kimberly A Chaffin

Darlene Nebinger

Narenk Douk

Helmut Bowles

Yves Bayon

Angela M Throm Quinlan

Systems and methods for tissue engineered synthetic support structures, such as grafts and patches are provided. The systems and methods can be used to make tissue engineered planar sheathes or meshes that can be fashioned into substantially planar or non-planar 3D tissue/organ structures adaptable to structure and organs within a human or mammalian body. The systems and methods can use bioink deposited on a material having specified properties and matured under specified conditions to create the tissue engineered planar sheathes or meshes having biomechanical and biological properties tailored to a particular tissue.

Tissue engineered synthetic support structure

Stents and methods of using stents are provided. Stents of the invention provide external support structure for a blood vessel segment disposed within, wherein the stents are capable of resilient radial expansion in a manner mimicking the compliance properties of an artery. The stent may be formed of a knitted or braided mesh formed so as to provide the needed compliance properties. A venous graft with the stent and a vein segment disposed within is provided, wherein graft is capable of mimicking the compliance properties of an artery. Methods of selecting stents for downsizing and methods of using the stents of the invention in downsizing and smoothening are provided. Methods of replacing a section of an artery with a venous graft including a stent of the invention are provided. Methods of reducing intimal hyperplasia in implanted vein segment in a venous graft using stents of the invention are provided.

Graft apparatus

A graft includes a flexible, resilient, generally tubular external support and a blood vessel segment, carried within and having an ablumenal surface in contact with and supported by the tubular support, the graft being capable of resilient radial expansion in a manner mimicking the radial compliance properties of an artery.

Compliant blood vessel graft

A venous graft for replacement of a section of an artery and methods of making the graft. The graft comprises a flexible, resilient, generally tubular external support and a vein segment carried within and having an ablumenal surface in contact with and supported by the tubular support, the venous graft being capable of resilient radial expansion in a manner mimicking the radial compliance properties of an artery.

Compliant venous graft

Apparatus and methods for seeding an implantable medical device, such as a vascular prosthesis, with cells, such as endothelial cells, are described. The invention supports techniques for seeding a luminal surface of the device with axial centrifugation. Cells are introduced in suspension into the lumen of the device. The introduction of the cells may occur after a blood centrifugation product, such as platelet-poor plasma, is applied to the luminal surface. After the cells are introduced, the device is then subjected to centrifugation around a longitudinal axis defined by the lumen. Axial centrifugation causes the cells to concentrate toward and adhere to the luminal surface. Shortly after axial centrifugation, the seeded device can be presented for implantation in a patient. The implantable medical device may be inserted into a protective sleeve prior to seeding the device with cells, and the sleeve may or may not be removed prior to implantation.

Seeding implantable medical devices with cells

A vascular graft having a pleated circumference accommodates blood pressure changes with minimal change in internal surface area. A highly compliant graft may be made from a wide variety of polymers including non-elastomeric materials.

Prosthetic vascular graft with a pleated structure

Prosthetic vascular grafts with a pleated structure

Growing community of inventors

Golden Valley, MN, United States of America

Michael F Wolf