Ultra-thin fabric, devices, and methods

Abstract

A fabric can comprise yarns comprising less than about 30 denier total and less than about 10 denier per filament; a density of greater than about 177 yarns per cm2; and a thickness of less than about 3.2 mil. The fabric can further comprises a weight of less than about 60 g/m2. The fabric can have performance characteristics equivalent to or greater than those in conventional implantable fabrics. A method of making such a fabric can include twisting together filaments into a multifilament yarn; passing adjacent yarns into a loom in parallel so as to allow the yarns to be woven together more closely; maintaining a consistent tension on the yarns during placement of the yarns on a loom beam and during weaving; and or subjecting the fabric to increased heat and pressure so as to compress the yarns more tightly.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fabric, comprising:
 yarns, comprising more than 1 and less than about 30 denier total and more than 0.1 and less than about 10 denier per filament;   a density of greater than about 177 yarns per cm 2 ; and   a thickness of less than about 3.2 mil;   wherein the fabric further comprises a water permeability rating of less than about 400 cc/min/cm 2  at 120 mm Hg pressure.   
     
     
       2. The fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric further comprises a weight of less than about 60 g/m 2 . 
     
     
       3. The fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric further comprises an implantable medical device. 
     
     
       4. The fabric of  claim 3 , wherein the implantable medical device is passable through a size 10 French delivery catheter. 
     
     
       5. The fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the yarns comprise multifilament yarns, each yarn having 10 filaments and a total denier of about 20. 
     
     
       6. The fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the yarns comprise polyester, polypropylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, nylon, and/or polyethylene yarns. 
     
     
       7. The fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric further comprises a probe burst strength of greater than about 20 lbs. 
     
     
       8. The fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric further comprises a tensile strength of greater than about 25 lbs. per inch. 
     
     
       9. A method, comprising:
 fabricating a fabric comprising less than about 30 denier total and less than about 10 denier per filament, a density of greater than about 177 yarns per cm 2 , and a thickness of less than about 3.2 mil, wherein the fabric further comprises a water permeability rating of less than about 400 cc/min/cm 2  at 120 mm Hg pressure; and   slashing the yarns with a protective coating prior to fabricating the fabric.   
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , the yarns comprising multifilament yarns, the method further comprising twisting the filaments together. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising passing adjacent yarns into a loom in parallel so as to allow the yarns to be woven together more closely. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising maintaining a consistent tension on the yarns during placement of the yarns on a loom beam during weaving. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising subjecting the fabric to increased heat and pressure so as to compress the yarns more tightly. 
     
     
       14. A fabric comprising:
 yarns comprised of the group consisting essentially of polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, and polytetrafluoroethylene, the yarns comprising less than about 30 denier total and less than about 10 denier filament;   a density of greater than about 177 yarns per cm 2 ; and   a thickness of less than about 3.2 mil;   wherein the fabric further comprises a water permeability rating of less that about 400 cc/min/cm 2  at 120 mm Hg pressure.   
     
     
       15. The fabric of  claim 14 , wherein the fabric further comprises a weight of less than about 60 g/m 2 . 
     
     
       16. The fabric of  claim 14 , wherein the fabric further comprises an implantable medical device. 
     
     
       17. The fabric of  claim 16 , wherein the implantable medical device is passable through a size 10 French delivery catheter. 
     
     
       18. The fabric of  claim 14 , wherein the fabric further comprises a probe burst strength of greater than about 20 lbs. 
     
     
       19. The fabric of  claim 14 , wherein the fabric further comprises a tensile strength of greater than about 25 lbs. per inch. 
     
     
       20. An implantable medical fabric having a desired fabric construction, comprising:
 a fabric thickness of less than about 3.2 mil;   a water permeability rating of less than about 400 cc/min/cm 2  at 120 mm Hg pressure; and   yarns having filaments, wherein the yarns have a total denier of less than about 30 denier and the filaments have a denier per filament of less than about 10;   wherein said fabric comprises a tensile strength of greater than about 25 lbs. per inch.   
     
     
       21. The implantable medical fabric of claim 20, further comprising a fabric weight of less than about 60 g/m 2 . 
     
     
       22. The implantable medical fabric of claim 21, wherein the fabric weight is from about 40 g/m 2  to about 58 g/m 2 . 
     
     
       23. The implantable medical fabric of claim 20, wherein the yarns are woven to form said fabric. 
     
     
       24. The implantable medical fabric of claim 20, wherein said fabric is a tubular fabric. 
     
     
       25. The implantable medical fabric of claim 20, wherein said fabric is a flat fabric. 
     
     
       26. An endovascular device comprising the implantable medical fabric of claim 20. 
     
     
       27. The endovascular device of claim 26, wherein said endovascular device is a stent-graft. 
     
     
       28. An endovascular device comprising the implantable medical fabric of claim 20, wherein said device is selected from the group consisting of a heart valve, a barrier sheath in a prosthetic material, and a reinforcement material adapted for repairing a prosthetic graft. 
     
     
       29. The implantable medical fabric of claim 20, wherein said fabric may be utilized in cardiovascular applications, spinal applications, cosmetic surgery, and general surgery. 
     
     
       30. The implantable medical fabric of claim 20, wherein said yarns are multifilament yarns. 
     
     
       31. The implantable medical fabric of claim 30, wherein said filaments are twisted to form said multifilament yarns. 
     
     
       32. A method of making a medical fabric having a desired fabric construction comprising:
 selecting yarns having a total denier less than about 30 denier and having a denier per filament of less than about 10;   fabricating the medical fabric from said yarns, wherein said fabric comprises a fabric thickness of less than about 3.2 mil, a tensile strength of greater than about 25 lbs. per inch, and a water permeability rating of less than about 400 cc/min/cm2 at 120 mm Hg pressure.   
     
     
       33. The method of claim 32, further comprising fabricating the medical fabric with a fabric weight of less than about 60 g/m2. 
     
     
       34. The method of claim 33, wherein the fabric weight is from about 40 g/m2 to about 58 g/m2. 
     
     
       35. The method of claim 32, further comprising twisting the filaments together to form said yarns. 
     
     
       36. The method of claim 32, further comprising passing adjacent yarns into a loom in parallel. 
     
     
       37. The method of claim 32, further comprising maintaining a tension on the yarns during placement of the yarns on a loom beam and during weaving. 
     
     
       38. The method of claim 32, further comprising compressing the yarns. 
     
     
       39. The method of claim 32, further comprising slashing the yarns with a protective coating prior to fabricating the medical fabric. 
     
     
       40. An implantable medical fabric having a desired fabric construction, comprising:
 a fabric thickness of less than about 3.2 mil;   a water permeability rating of less than about 400 cc/min/cm 2  at 120 mm Hg pressure;   a fabric weight of less than about 60 g/m 2 ; and   yarns having filaments, wherein the yarns have a total denier of less than about 30 denier and the filaments have a denier per filament of less than about 10.