Method and apparatus for sodding microvessel cells onto a synthetic vascular graft
US5804366A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 9, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 8, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 9, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S623/921
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for sodding onto the inner lumenal surface of a synthetic graft of harvested and concentrated microvessel endothelial cells from liposuctioned fat tissues, which harvested cells are formed into a "pellet" of isolated endothelial cells in loose aggregations, includes a sodding tube having a single rigid outer wall bounding a sodding chamber. A filter pack assembly is provided to communicate the pellet of cells from a processing vessel to the graft. This filter pack assembly includes a series of successively finer filter members cooperatively defining a series of turbulent-flow chambers in which aggregations of cells too large to pass through a particular filter are exposed to liquid flow turbulence which is effective to break up the aggregations. A check valve assembly ensures that liquid flow is unidirectional so that sodding of the cells onto the inner lumenal surface of the graft is not interfered with by possible liquid reflux, and sodded cells are similarly not dislodged from the graft by such liquid reflux.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.