A protective textile sleeve and method of construction thereof is provided. The sleeve includes a circumferentially continuous wall extending lengthwise along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The wall has a first section formed from a non-heat-shrinkable, non-elastic yarn and a second section formed from one of a heat-shrinkable or elastic yarn. The first section extends lengthwise between the opposite ends and spans (X) degrees about the circumference of the wall between opposite lengthwise extending edges while in an unshrunken or stretch. The second section extends lengthwise between the opposite ends and spans (360-X) degrees about the circumference of the wall. The heat-shrikable or elastic yarn of the second section extends continuously as an uninterupted yarn between the opposite edges of the first section.

A delivery system includes a catheter with a removable constraint. The removable constraint is a knit tubular construct. The removable constraint can be used, for example, to constrain a medical device to a delivery configuration. The removable constraint may include one or more fibers or strands arranged about the device to maintain the device in a constrained or delivery configuration.

A sleeve for protecting an elongate member, including a bus-bar of a battery pack, and method of construction thereof are provided. The sleeve includes a knit wall having a circumferentially continuous outer surface extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite open ends. The knit wall is formed at least in part by multifilament flame-resistant yarn. The multifilament flame-resistant yarn is knit to form both the knit wall, and also first ribs extending lengthwise along the circumferentially continuous outer surface or second ribs extending annularly about said circumferentially continuous outer surface. An impervious, flame-resistant coating is bonded to an outer surface of the circumferentially continuous knit wall.

A warp knitting system may knit a seamless tube of fabric. The fabric may have a spacer between outer and inner fabric layers. The knitting system may have first and second needle guide systems. The first and second needle guide systems may each have selectively linked needle bed sections that guide respective needles. A guide bar system may have guide bars that dispense strands of material during knitting. Each guide bar may be positioned using a respective guide bar positioner. The guide bar system may be shifted relative to the needles using a rotational positioner. The needle guide systems and guide bar system may be formed from selectively coupled links. The selectively coupled links may be configured to adjust the diameter of the tube of fabric to a desired value. The thickness of the tube may be adjusted by adjusting a gap between the first and second needle guide systems.

A removable constraining device, systems, and methods for constraining and delivering an expandable member is disclosed. The removable constraining device includes a plurality of strands interlocking to form a cover body having a length, the plurality of strands in the form of a warp knit, and the plurality of strands including at least a first set of strands and a second set of strands. The removable constraining device also includes a first release zone defined by the first set of strands of the cover body along the length of the cover body and a second release zone defined by the seconds set of strands of the cover body, the second release zone being coextensive with the first release zone along at least a portion of the length of the cover body. The removable constraining device may be released at release zones by substantially simultaneously tensioning deployment lines.

A warp knitting system may knit a seamless tube of fabric. The fabric may have a spacer between outer and inner fabric layers. The knitting system may have first and second needle guide systems. The first and second needle guide systems may each have selectively linked needle bed sections that guide respective needles. A guide bar system may have guide bars that dispense strands of material during knitting. Each guide bar may be positioned using a respective guide bar positioner. The guide bar system may be shifted relative to the needles using a rotational positioner. The needle guide systems and guide bar system may be formed from selectively coupled links. The selectively coupled links may be configured to adjust the diameter of the tube of fabric to a desired value. The thickness of the tube may be adjusted by adjusting a gap between the first and second needle guide systems.

The invention relates to a method for producing a vascular implant. The method comprises: obtaining vessel parameters; creating a computer-aided model of a vascular implant based on the obtained vessel parameters, wherein the vascular implant comprises one or more modules, each comprising at least one tubular liner body; selecting one or more structural elements of a respective module from the group consisting of: one or more diameter changes along at least one tubular liner body, one or more bifurcations, one or more branches, one or more recesses, one or more local reinforcements, and one or more iliac vessel grafts. The method further comprises: determining parameters relating to the one or more selected structural elements; integrating the structural elements into the computer-aided model according to the determined parameters; and producing the vascular implant based on the created computer-aided model. Furthermore, the invention relates to vascular implants produced by means of the method.

A warp knit textile sleeve is provided. The sleeve has an elongate, wrappable wall extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The wall has opposite free edges extending lengthwise along the longitudinal axis between the opposite ends. The wall is knit from at least one warp yarn extending lengthwise between the opposite ends and a plurality of weft yarns extending circumferentially between the opposite free edges. The weft yarns form a plurality of discrete, annular bands alternating in adjacent relation along the longitudinal axis. The weft yarn of one of the adjacent bands has a first diameter and the weft yarn of the other of the adjacent bands has a second diameter, wherein the first diameter is less than the second diameter.

An all-wire weft-knit tubular sleeve can be knit from a plurality of electrically conductive wire filaments. Further, an electrically conductive bus wire can be interlaced in the weft knit pattern of the tubular sleeve to provide improved electrical contact along the entire length of the gasket. The exemplary weft-knit sleeve can allow for at least a 15% axial stretch without breaking the bus wire. The conductive wire filaments can be a copper/nickel alloy having a wire diameter of between about 0.075 mm and about 0.1 mm, a tensile strength of between about 70-125 KSI and an elongation of at least 12%.

This vascular stent graft (1) is formed of a tubular knitted textile structure, integrating within the meshes of said knitted textile structure at least one helical continuous weft yarn (3) extending all along the major dimension of the stent graft.

Said at least one stent graft (3) is made of a shape memory alloy having previously been submitted to such an education, and in particular such a thermomechanical treatment that, at the human body temperature, said yarn gives the structure its tubular shape by superelasticity or shape memory effect.