Endovascular support device and method

• US 20040064180A1
• Filed: 09/24/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1989
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Boneau, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,827,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.16
• 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 2210/0042 using a fluid, e.g. circulating

Abstract

An endovascular support device for treatment of chronic restenosis or other vascular narrowing is disclosed together with a method of manufacture and a method for delivering a plurality of such devices to an affected area of a vessel. In a preferred embodiment, the endovascular support device comprises a unitary wire-like structure configured to form a plurality of upper and lower peaks which may be compressed for delivery to an affected area of a coronary or peripheral vessel in a human, and then expanded to maintain a passageway through the vessel.

Claims

1. An endovascular support device suitable for implantation within a coronary or other vessel within the human body comprising a unitary member of wire-like material configured to provide a plurality of upper and lower peaks, the unitary member being capable of being compressed for delivery to an affected area of a vessel and then expanded to maintain the affected area of a vessel at a diameter larger than if the support device were not implanted.

2. A method of treating narrowing of coronary or peripheral vessels within humans comprising the steps of

providing a compressible and expandable endovascular support device,

compressing the endovascular support device onto a balloon catheter,

advancing the balloon catheter and endovascular support device to an affected area,

inflating the balloon catheter to expand the endovascular support device within the affected area to thereby prevent stenosis of at least a portion of the narrowed length of the vessel, and

repeating the advancing and inflating steps until a sufficient plurality of endovascular support devices have been expanded within the affected area to prevent stenosis along the narrowed length of the vessel.

3. A method of manufacturing an endovascular support device comprising

forming a toroid from a first material,

plating the toroid with a second material having higher lubricity than the first material,

bending the toroid to form a plurality of upper and lower peaks,

stripping off the second material from the toroid, and

reducing the diameter of the bent toroid to a desired size.