Expandable medical device with improved spatial distribution

• US 20060149354A1
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovational Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Conor Medsystems Incorporated
• Inventors: Eigler, Neal L., Shanley, John F., Edelman, Elazer R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,842,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.160
• 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 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0004 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0068 the pharmaceutical product being in a reservoir

Abstract

An expandable medical device having a plurality of elongated struts, the plurality of elongated struts being joined together by ductile hinges to form a substantially cylindrical device which is expandable from a cylinder having a first diameter to a cylinder having a second diameter. The plurality of struts and ductile hinges are arranged to improve the spatial distribution of the struts which is particularly important when delivering beneficial agents with the struts. The improved strut arrangement expands to a substantially parallelogram shape for improved beneficial agent distribution to the surrounding tissue. A beneficial agent may be loaded into openings within the struts or coated onto the struts for delivery to the tissue.

Claims

1. An expandable medical device comprising:

a plurality of first struts interconnected in a first column to form a first substantially cylindrical tissue supporting body;

a plurality of first flexible connectors forming a second column;

a plurality of inflexible elements forming a third column for drug delivery, wherein the first and third columns are interconnected by the second column;

a plurality of second flexible connectors forming a fourth column;

a plurality of second struts interconnected in a fifth column to form a second substantially cylindrical tissue supporting body, wherein the third and fifth columns are interconnected by the second column.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of inflexible elements include beneficial agent bearing reservoirs.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the reservoirs are through holes in the inflexible elements containing the beneficial agent.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first and second struts are interconnected in the first and fifth columns by a plurality of ductile hinges.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first and second struts contain beneficial agent bearing reservoirs.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the reservoirs are through holes containing the beneficial agent.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the inflexible elements remain essentially rigid during expansion of the expandable medical device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one opening is formed in each of the inflexible elements for delivery of a beneficial agent.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a beneficial agent, wherein the third column for drug delivery improves the uniformity of beneficial agent delivery between the first and second substantially cylindrical tissue supporting bodies.

10. An expandable medical device comprising:

a plurality of struts interconnected to form first and second substantially cylindrical tissue supporting bodies which provide radial support to the walls of a body passageway;

a plurality of first non-deforming openings in the plurality of struts containing a beneficial agent;

a plurality of inflexible elements positioned between the first and second substantially cylindrical tissue supporting bodies, wherein the inflexible elements provide a row for drug delivery between the first and second substantially cylindrical tissue supporting bodies;

a plurality of second non-deforming openings in the plurality of inflexible elements containing the beneficial agent; and

a plurality of flexible connectors connecting the first and second substantially cylindrical tissue supporting bodies to the plurality of inflexible elements, wherein the plurality of flexible connectors provide longitudinal flexibility to the device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the first and second non-deforming openings are through.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of struts are interconnected in the first and second substantially cylindrical tissue supporting bodies by a plurality of ductile hinges.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the inflexible elements remain essentially rigid during expansion of the expandable medical device.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of inflexible elements improve the uniformity of beneficial agent delivery in a gap between the first and second substantially cylindrical tissue supporting bodies.