A seal member for use with a replacement heart valve implant may include a tubular polymeric seal element configured to be disposed on an outer surface of a replacement heart valve implant, the tubular polymeric seal element defining a central longitudinal axis; and a reinforcement strip fixedly attached to the tubular polymeric seal element proximate a first end of the tubular polymeric seal element, the reinforcement strip extending circumferentially around the central longitudinal axis. The reinforcement strip may include a radiopaque element extending circumferentially around the central longitudinal axis.

The present invention concerns a bio-resorbable prosthesis (1, 1′) for organs with lumens, as blood vessels and the like, comprising at least one bio-absorbable material layer (2), intended to be arranged in contact with said lumen organ when said prosthesis (1, 1′) is implanted, and at least one auxetic material layer (3), arranged in contact with said at least one bio-absorbable material layer (2).

The present invention also concerns a method for the production of a bio-absorbable prosthesis (1, 1′).

The artificial blood vessel comprises a cortex layer, a fibroblast layer, a smooth muscle cell layer, an endothelial cell layer and an inner cavity. According to the artificial blood vessel, the endothelial layer, the smooth muscle cell layer, the fibroblast layer and the cortex layer are orderly arranged in a three-dimensional space by utilizing integrated technologies of plasma spraying, electrospraying, electrospining, intra-mold pouring and 3D printing; anticoagulant activity of the artificial blood vessel is enhanced by adopting an anticoagulation factor; step-by-step induced differentiation of stem cells in the artificial blood vessel is realized by adopting a growth factor controlled release method; and the artificial blood vessel is cultured by a pulsatile reactor, so that the artificial blood vessel structurally and functionally simulates natural animal blood vessels and provides a corresponding substitute for vascular transplantation and repair.

The invention relates to a method for producing a storable molded body made of bacterial cellulose and a molded body produced according to the method. A preferred method includes providing a molded body made of bacterial cellulose. Optionally, mechanically pressing the entire molded body or parts of the molded body at temperatures in the range of 10° C. to 100° C. and pressures in the range of 0.01 to 1 MPa for a pressing time of 10-200 min. Treating the molded body with a solution of 20% by weight to 50% by weight of glycerol and 50% by weight to 80% by weight of a C1-C3-alcohol/water mixture. Drying the treated molded body.

The invention is directed to methods for preparing artificial heart valves by preconditioning a matrix seeded with endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells differentiated from isolated progenitor cells. These cell seeded matrices are exposed to fluid conditions that mimic blood flow through the heart to produce tissue engineered heart valves that are analogous to native heart valves.

Medical constructs with collagen fibers and gelatin and related collagen fibers. The collagen fibers can be derived from extruded soluble dermal collagen and can include a gelatin film attached to the at least one collagen fiber. The gelatin film can include one or more minerals and has a gelatin concentration of between about 0.1% to about 40% weight per volume.

Thin, biocompatible, high-strength, composite materials are disclosed that are suitable for use in a prosthetic valve for regulating blood flow direction. In one aspect, the leaflet material maintains flexibility in high-cycle flexural applications, making it particularly applicable to high-flex implants such as a prosthetic heart valve leaflet. The leaflet material includes a coherent single layer and an elastomer, wherein the elastomer is present in the pores of the porous coherent single layer.

Improved methods, designs and/or systems for incorporating markings and/or other visual and/or tactilely identifiable indicia on woven, knitted, nonwoven, braided and/or felted textiles used for medical textile implants and prostheses, including medical graft prostheses that would not affect the overall mechanical performance of the textile.

Disclosed herein are a cocoon-based, vascular patch and a method for manufacturing the same. The cocoon-based, vascular patch is manufactured by dividing a cocoon into two or more fragments in a predetermined form, the cocoon having a shell having a predetermined thickness. The cocoon-based vascular patch can be relatively simply manufactured in a more cost efficient manner than conventional vascular patches, and has excellent cell growth potential and biocompatibility.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cell-containing bioabsorbable tubular structure having molecular permeability, a device for manufacturing the tubular structure, and a method for manufacturing the tubular structure. According to the present invention, there is provided a tubular structure constituted with a cell structure which contains biocompatible polymer blocks and cells, in which the plurality of polymer blocks is disposed in voids between the plurality of cells.