Highly flexible stent and method of manufacture

• US 10,390,978 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Angiomed GmbH and Co Medizentechnik KG (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Angiomed GmbH and Co Medizentechnik KG (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Bales, Jr., Thomas O., Jahrmarkt, Scott L., Slater, Charles R., Kratsch, Peter K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mathew, Seema
• Application Number:
  US15/282,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20170014249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/844 folded prior to deployment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91508 the meander having a difference in amplitude along the band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91575 connected peak to trough
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91583 by a bridge, whereby at least one of its ends is connected along the length of a strut between two consecutive apices within a band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00023 Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys

Abstract

Preferred embodiments of a stent with a high degree of flexibility are shown and described. The stent can include a continuous helical winding and at least one bridge. The continuous helical winding has a plurality of circumferential sections that circumscribe a longitudinal axis from a first end to a second end to define a tube. The circumferential sections are spaced apart along the axis. The at least one bridge is configured to connect one circumferential section to an axially-spaced adjacent circumferential section. The at least one bridge extends on a plane generally orthogonal with respect to the axis.

Claims

1. An implantable prosthesis comprising:

a continuous helical winding having a plurality of circumferential sections circumscribing a helical axis, which is cut by an orthogonal plane, from a first end to a second end to define a tube, the plurality of circumferential sections being spaced apart along the helical axis, each of the plurality of circumferential sections having a non-orthogonal helical angle relative to the helical axis;

at least one bridge configured to connect one circumferential section to an axially-spaced adjacent circumferential section, the at least one bridge extending along its entire length on a plane orthogonal to the helical axis;

at least one annular ring connected to one of the first and second ends of the continuous helical winding, the at least one annular ring orthogonal to the helical axis; and

at least one marker having a first end connected to the at least one annular ring, and a second end connected to the continuous helical winding,

wherein the implantable prosthesis is operable from a contracted state to an expanded state and in the contracted state the at least one bridge creates a circumferential offset between adjacent circumferential sections that when measured in the plane orthogonal to the helical axis is equal to the length of the at least one bridge and in the expanded state the at least one bridge maintains the circumferential off-set.

2. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the continuous helical winding and the at least one bridge are in the expanded state.

3. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of circumferential sections has a plurality of undulations disposed about the tube.

4. The implantable prosthesis of claim 3, wherein the at least one bridge comprises a minimum width greater than a width of any segments that define the plurality of undulations.

5. The implantable prosthesis of claim 4, wherein the plurality of undulations comprise zig-zag struts.

6. The implantable prosthesis of claim 4, wherein the plurality of undulations exhibits a wave pattern.

7. The implantable prosthesis of claim 6, wherein the implantable prosthesis is composed of at least one self-expanding material.

8. The implantable prosthesis of claim 7, wherein the at least one self-expanding material is Nitinol.

9. The implantable prosthesis of claim 8, wherein the implantable prosthesis is composed of at least one weak shape memory metal.

10. The implantable prosthesis of claim 9, further comprising a bridge vertex connecting at least one stent strut to the at least one bridge such that the bridge vertex is rigid to isolate the at least one stent strut from deformation forces during stent expansion.

11. The implantable prosthesis of claim 3, wherein the plurality of undulations comprise zig-zag struts.

12. The implantable prosthesis of claim 3, wherein the plurality of undulations exhibits a wave pattern.

13. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the implantable prosthesis is composed of at least one self-expanding material.

14. The implantable prosthesis of claim 13, wherein the at least one self-expanding material is Nitinol.

15. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the implantable prosthesis is composed of at least one weak shape memory metal.

16. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, further comprising a bridge vertex connecting at least one stent strut to the at least one bridge such that the bridge vertex is rigid to isolate the at least stent strut from deformation forces during stent expansion.

17. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first end of the at least one marker has a first width, and wherein the second end of the at least one marker has a second width less than the first width.

18. The implantable prosthesis of claim 17, wherein the first width extends along a first section of the at least one marker, the first section having a generally rectangular configuration.

19. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the at least one annular ring includes sacrificial locations at connection points to the at least one marker to facilitate removal of the at least one annular ring from the implantable prosthesis.

20. An implantable prosthesis having a contracted state and an expanded state, the implantable prosthesis comprising:

a continuous helical winding including a plurality of circumferential sections having a non-orthogonal helical angle relative to a helical axis;

a plurality of bridges connecting the plurality of circumferential sections, each of the plurality of bridges lying in a plane orthogonal to the helical axis along a length thereof, the plurality of bridges creating a circumferential offset between adjacent circumferential sections in the contracted state that is maintained in the expanded state;

an annular ring connected to a first end of the continuous helical winding, the annular ring orthogonal to the helical axis; and

a plurality of markers having a first end connected to the annular ring, the annular ring including sacrificial locations at connection points to each of the plurality of markers to facilitate removal of the at least one annular ring from the implantable prosthesis.