Stent

• US 10,500,075 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Wack, Thilo, Haas, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Holwerda, Kathleen S
• Application Number:
  US15/436,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20170156901A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/86 Stents in a form characterised by the wire-like elements; Stents in the form characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/89 the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• 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 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2240/001 Designing or manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2240/002 Designing or making customized prostheses
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0036 differing in thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/42 Plastics B23K2103/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/38 by boring or cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/402 involving non-metallic material, e.g. isolators

Abstract

A radially expansible annular stent is disclosed. The stent comprises a plurality of stenting turns around a lumen centered on a longitudinal axis. Adjacent turns of the stent are joined by connector struts. The stent annulus has a wall thickness related to the material from which it is formed. The radial thickness of the connector struts is smaller than that of the stent annulus. A method of making such a stent is also disclosed. The method includes cutting the connector struts from a tubular workpiece with a laser beam. The laser beam is aimed so as to be offset from a longitudinal axis of the workpiece to provide the reduced radial thickness of the connector struts.

Claims

1. A method of making a stent having a plurality of turns around a longitudinal axis comprising:

cutting a tubular workpiece with a beam to form a connector strut having a thickness less than a wall thickness of the tubular workpiece, wherein;

the beam does not intersect the longitudinal axis,

a first turn portion immediately adjacent to the connector strut has a thickness less than the wall thickness of the tubular workpiece,

a second turn portion has a thickness greater than the first turn portion,

the connector strut comprises cut surfaces that intersect to form a luminal angle at a luminal point further from the longitudinal axis than a luminal workpiece surface,

the connector strut comprises cut surfaces that intersect to form an abluminal angle at an abluminal point closer to the longitudinal axis than an abluminal workpiece surface, and

a transverse connector strut cross-section does not have a mirror symmetry plane containing the longitudinal axis.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising cutting the tubular workpiece with the beam to form a turn comprising two or more stenting struts, wherein the beam intersects the longitudinal axis.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the connector strut joins adjacent turn portions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein an inflection point is disposed between at least two stenting struts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a plane that extends through the luminal point and the abluminal point is parallel to the longitudinal axis.