Aortic stent graft with durable suture attachment sites

1. An aortic stent graft comprising:

a stent that includes a framework; a fabric tube that includes a plurality of discrete attachment areas that are each at least partially surrounded by at least one permeable graft area, and the fabric tube is one of a weave or a knit of thermoplastic yarn;

a plurality of suture ties that attach the framework to the fabric tube, and each of the suture ties penetrates through and/or encircles a respective one of the discrete attachment areas; and

wherein the weave or the knit of the discrete attachment areas is identical to that of the permeable graft area with an exception that a wall thickness of each of the discrete attachment areas is flattened relative to, and thinner than, a wall thickness of the permeable graft area.

2. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the weave or the knit at the discrete attachment areas are plastically deformed relative to the weave or the knit of the permeable graft area.

3. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the discrete attachment areas are less permeable than the permeable graft area.

4. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the framework includes an anchoring portion; and

the anchoring portion is attached to the discrete attachment areas with a portion of the suture ties.

5. The aortic stent graft of claim 4 wherein a part of the anchoring portion is positioned proximal to, and out of contact with, the fabric tube.

6. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic yarn is a polyester yarn.

7. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic yarn includes at least one of polyester and/or polyethylene filaments.

8. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic yarn is a multifilament yarn.

9. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the fabric tube has an expanded diameter that is sized to bear circumferentially against an aortic wall.

10. The aortic stent graft of claim 9 wherein the expanded diameter is a range from 12 mm to 50 mm.

11. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the discrete attachment areas include filaments that have melted together.

12. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the fabric tube is a weave with warp yarns oriented parallel to an axis of the fabric tube.

13. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the discrete attachment areas have an elongated shape with a first end separated from a second end by elongated sides.

14. The aortic stent graft of claim 13 wherein a respective imaginary line positioned in each of the discrete attachment areas and intersecting the first and second ends is a curved line that is convex relative to a proximal end of the fabric tube.

15. The aortic stent graft of claim 14 wherein the respective line defines a vertex that points away from the proximal end of the fabric tube.

16. The aortic stent graft of claim 15 wherein the vertex is closer, than the first and second ends of the discrete attachment area, to the proximal end of the fabric tube; and

the first and second ends of the discrete attachment area is closer, than the vertex, to a distal end of the fabric tube.

17. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein the discrete attachment areas have a rectangular shape.

18. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein an edge of at least one of the discrete attachment areas is a segment of a circumferential end of the fabric tube.

19. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein a portion of the suture ties each penetrate through a respective one of the discrete attachment areas.

20. The aortic stent graft of claim 1 wherein a portion of the suture ties each encircle a respective one of the discrete attachment areas.