Manufacturing conduits for use in placing a target vessel in fluid communication with a source of blood

Abstract

Methods and devices for manufacturing a conduit for placing a target vessel in fluid communication with a source of blood, such as a heart chamber containing blood. The conduit includes first and second portion adapted to be placed in fluid communication with a heart chamber and a target vessel. The conduit lies on the exterior of the myocardium between the blood source and the target vessel and delivers blood in multiple directions within the lumen of the target vessel. The conduit, which may be formed of any suitable synthetic vascular graft material, is generally T-shaped with the leg having two free ends disposed in the target vessel, preferably being secured thereto via a suture-free attachment. The conduit comprises vascular graft material and may be manufactured various ways, such as molding a conduit from any suitable biocompatible material or fabricating a conduit from one or more pieces of vascular graft material.

1 . A mold for forming a conduit for use in placing a target vessel of a patient's vascular system in fluid communication with a heart chamber containing blood, the mold comprising:
 a base defining a mold cavity;   wherein the mold cavity has first and second portions configured to form a conduit including first and second portions;   wherein the first and second portions of the mold cavity are disposed transverse to each other to form a conduit with first and second conduit portions in fluid communication with each other and adapted to place the lumen of a target vessel in fluid communication with a heart chamber containing blood   
     
     
         2 . The mold of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second portions of the mold cavity define a T-shaped conduit. 
     
     
         3 . The mold of  claim 1 , in combination with a mandrel having first and second portions substantially corresponding to the first and second portions of the conduit and the mold cavity.