Patent ID: 8062354

Claim:
A radially expandable tape-reinforced tubular vascular graft, comprising: a tubular PTFE base graft having a diameter; and a PTFE reinforcing tape wrapped into a spirally wound tube, the reinforcing tape having an expanded porosity, the tube of reinforcing tape having an expanded diameter larger than the diameter of the base graft; and wherein: said tube of reinforcing tape having a reduced diameter and applied to the outside of the tubular PTFE base graft to form the radially expandable tape-reinforced tubular vascular graft, suitable for introduction and expansion in the vasculature without tearing of the reinforcing tape, having a lesser porosity immediately prior to expansion and an expanded porosity immediately after expansion, wherein the change in porosity is caused by expansion of the radially expandable tape-reinforced tubular vascular graft, wherein the expanded diameter of the tube of reinforcing tape is at least 5% greater than the reduced diameter.