Abstract An artificial vessel, wherein the vessel wall is made of an elastomer having a porous structure with pores at any part of the vessel wall from the inner surface to the outer surface and consists of at least 2 concentric layers, each layer having a substantially uniform porosity percentage, the inmost layer having a thickness of from 30 to 500 μm and a porosity percentage of from 95 to 80% and other layers having a lower porosity percentage than that of the inmost layer, and the porosity of the whole vessel wall is from 90 to 75%. The artificial vessel may also be reinforced with tubular material made of fiber or with heat-set tubular material made of fiber. The artificial vessel of the present invention has a porosity, a compliance approximate to that of a vital vessel, and a contact surface with blood having an excellent blood compatibility.
An artificial vessel consisting essentially of a porous vessel wall which contains pores throughout the thickness of the vessel wall from the inner surface of the vessel wall to the outer surface of the vessel wall, said vessel wall consisting essentially of concentric layers of porous thermoplastic elastomeric material, wherein each layer of porous elastomeric material has a substantially uniform porosity percentage, the innermost elastomeric layer has a thickness of 30 to 500μ and a porosity percentage of 95 to 80%, the remaining elastomeric layers have a lower porosity percentage than the innermost elastomeric layer, and the overall porosity percentage of the elastomeric layers is 90 to 75%.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
108 words
An artificial vessel consisting essentially of a porous vessel wall which contains pores throughout the thickness of the vessel wall from the inner surface of the vessel wall to the outer surface of the vessel wall, said vessel wall consisting essentially of concentric layers of porous thermoplastic elastomeric material, wherein each layer of porous elastomeric material has a substantially uniform porosity percentage, the innermost elastomeric layer has a thickness of 30 to 500μ and a porosity percentage of 95 to 80%, the remaining elastomeric layers have a lower porosity percentage than the innermost elastomeric layer, and the overall porosity percentage of the elastomeric layers is 90 to 75%.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The artificial vessel of claim 1, wherein the compliance of the vessel wall is from 0.1 to 0.8.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
The artificial vessel of claim 1, wherein the porous thermoplastic elastomeric material is a segmented polyurethane.