Patent ID: 7211095

Claim:
A connector for use in connecting a tubular body tissue graft to the side wall of a patient's tubular body tissue conduit so that the lumen of the graft communicates with the lumen of the conduit through an aperture in the side wall of the conduit to permit body fluid flow between the lumens without leakage of body fluid to the outside of the graft and the conduit adjacent the connector comprising: an annular structure having first and second axially adjacent substructures, the first substructure being configured to be disposed inside the conduit, wherein the first substructure comprises a plurality of annularly spaced struts that are configured to extend from a first position in which the struts are substantially parallel to an axis with which the annular structure is substantially coaxial to a second position in which the struts are radially outward and substantially perpendicular to the axis to engage the inside of the side wall of the conduit at locations that are disposed annularly around the aperture, and the second substructure being configured to engage the inside of the graft at further locations that are also disposed annularly around the aperture, wherein the second substructure comprises a ring of material having a plurality of peaks and a plurality of slots disposed annularly around the ring, wherein the width of the material between adjacent slots is greater than the thickness of the material and wherein circumferential enlargement of the ring causes the material to twist at the peaks to engage the further locations.