Patent ID: 6719934
Filing Date: 2004-04-13
Classification: A61F,A61L,D04C

Abstract:
A process for making a prosthesis, including:providing a plurality of elongate filaments comprising a bioabsorbable material selected from the group consisting of: polydioxanone, polycaprolactone, polygluconate, polylactic acid-polyethylent oxide copolymers, modified cellulose, collagen, poly(hydroxybutyrate), polyanhydride, polyphosphoester, poly(amino acids), poly-L-lactide, poly-D-lactide, polyglycolide, poly(alpha-hydroxy acid) and combinations thereof; braiding the filaments at a braid angle of from about 120 degrees to about 150 degrees on a first mandrel having a first diameter to form a tubular, radially compressible prosthesis structure; disposing the prosthesis structure on a second mandrel having a second diameter less than the first diameter; and while the prosthesis structure is so disposed, annealing the prosthesis structure at a temperature between a glass-transition temperature of the bioabsorbable material and a melting temperature of the bioabsorbable material, to form an annealed prosthesis structure having the annealed diameter D when in a free state, less than an initial diameter of the prosthesis structure before said annealing, the annealed prosthesis structure further being radially compressible to reduced diameters less than the annealed diameter D and radially self-expandable from the reduced diameters.