Docking device made with 3D woven fabric
A docking device for a bioprosthesis is disclosed that can change shape and recover after a deforming stress is removed, that adjusts to surrounding conditions to accommodate different complex anatomic geometries, and that mitigates leakage around the bioprosthesis. The docking device can include a 3D woven fabric forming an internal surface, an outer surface, and a thickness therebetween. A filler can be coupled to the outer surface. A method for making a docking device is also provided. The method includes weaving a 3D woven fabric by interlacing a shape memory material, a low-melt thermoplastic polymer or resin having a melting point, and a high-tenacity biocompatible material; and pressing and heating the 3D woven fabric over a shape-setting mold at temperatures greater than the melting point of the low-melt thermoplastic polymer or resin.
1. A docking device for a prosthesis, the docking device comprising:
a three-dimensional (3D) woven fabric forming a shaped element having an internal surface, an outer surface, and a thickness therebetween, the 3D woven fabric comprising a multilayer weave structure including a set of warp yarns comprising a first type of fiber, a set of weft yarns comprising a second type of fiber, and a set of through-the-thickness binding yarns comprising a third type of fiber; and
a filler structure coupled to the outer surface of the shaped element;
wherein:
the first type of fiber comprises a first one of a group consisting of shape memory material, low-melt thermoplastic polymer or resin, and high-tenacity biocompatible material;
the second type of fiber comprises a second one of the group; and
the third type of fiber comprises a third one of the group.
2. The docking device of claim 1 , wherein the prosthesis is a transcatheter heart valve.
3. The docking device of claim 1 , wherein the shape memory material comprises nitinol.
4. The docking device of claim 1 , wherein the low-melt thermoplastic polymer or resin has a melting point between 85 degrees Celsius and 200 degrees Celsius.
5. The docking device of claim 4 , wherein the low-melt thermoplastic polymer or resin comprises nylon.
6. The docking device of claim 1 , wherein the high-tenacity biocompatible material comprises polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
7. The docking device of claim 1 , wherein the filler structure is covered with a material having low porosity.
8. A docking device comprising:
a three-dimensional (3D) woven fabric forming a shaped element having an internal surface, an outer surface, and a thickness therebetween, the 3D woven fabric comprising a multilayer weave structure including a set of warp yarns, a set of weft yarns, and a set of through-the-thickness binding yarns; and
a filler structure coupled to the outer surface of the shaped element and comprising polymer foam.
9. The docking device of claim 8 , wherein the polymer foam is at least partially covered with a tubular woven fabric.
10. The docking device of claim 9 , wherein the tubular woven fabric comprises polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
11. The docking device of claim 8 , wherein:
each of the set of warp yarns is interlaced with a plurality of the set of weft yarns in each layer according to a weave pattern in in-plane principal directions; and
each of the set of through-the-thickness binding yarns is interlaced with a plurality of the set of weft yarns in each layer according to the weave pattern in out-of-plane principal directions.
12. The docking device of claim 8 , wherein the multilayer weave structure is fully interlaced.
13. The docking device of claim 8 , wherein the multilayer weave structure is semi-interlaced.
14. The docking device of claim 8 , wherein the set of warp yarns, the set of weft yarns, and the set of through-the-thickness binding yarns comprise first, second, and third different types of fibers, respectively.
15. The docking device of claim 14 , wherein the set of warp yarns comprises a shape memory material, the set of weft yarns comprises a low-melt thermoplastic polymer or resin, and the set of through-the-thickness binding yarns comprises a high-tenacity biocompatible material.
16. The docking device of claim 14 , wherein the set of warp yarns comprises a high-tenacity biocompatible material, the set of weft yarns comprises a shape memory material, and the set of through-the-thickness binding yarns comprises a low-melt thermoplastic polymer or resin.