Stent with variable features to optimize support and method of making such stent
First Claim
1. An expandable stent, comprising:
- a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with a distal row disposed at the distal end of the stent and a proximal row disposed at the proximal end of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the cells of the distal row have first and third members that are shorter than the second and fourth members.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An intravascular stent especially suited for implanting in curved arterial portions or ostial regions. The stent can include an end region which is fabricated to have a greater radial strength than the remaining axial length of the stent. Such a stent is particularly suited for use in ostial regions, which require greater support near the end of the stent. The stent alternatively can include sections adjacent the end of the stent with greater bending flexibility than the remaining axial length of the stent. Such a stent is particularly suited for use in curved arteries. The stent can also be constructed with an end that has greater radial strength and sections adjacent the end with greater bending flexibility. Such a stent prevents flaring of the stent end during insertion.
31 Citations
67 Claims
-
1. An expandable stent, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with a distal row disposed at the distal end of the stent and a proximal row disposed at the proximal end of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the cells of the distal row have first and third members that are shorter than the second and fourth members. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. An expandable stent, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with a distal row disposed at the distal end of the stent and a proximal row disposed at the proximal end of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the cells of the proximal row have second and fourth members that are shorter than the first and third members. - View Dependent Claims (4)
-
-
5. An expandable stent comprising:
-
a) a plurality of flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of flexible rows along the longitudinal axis with a distal row of cells disposed at the distal end of the stent and a proximal row of cells disposed at the proximal end of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member, and a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the cells of the distal row have first and third members that are shorter than the second and fourth members, and wherein the cells of the proximal row have second and fourth members that are shorter than the first and third members.
-
-
6. An expandable stent, comprising a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis and which when expanded in a lumen exerts radial force along its length against the lumen wall, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with a distal row disposed at the distal end of the stent and a proximal row disposed at the proximal end of the stent, wherein the distal row of cells exert greater radial force than each row of cells disposed between the distal row and the proximal row of the stent.
-
7. An expandable stent, comprising a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis and which when expanded in a lumen exerts radial force along its length against the lumen wall, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with a distal row disposed at the distal end of the stent and a proximal row disposed at the proximal end of the stent, wherein the proximal row of cells exert greater radial force than each row of cells disposed between the distal row and the proximal row of the stent.
-
8. An expandable stent, comprising a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinal axis and which when expanded in a lumen exerts radial force along its length against the lumen wall, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with a distal row disposed at the distal end of the stent and a proximal row disposed at the proximal end of the stent, wherein each of the distal row cells and the proximal row of cells exert greater radial force than each row of cells disposed between the distal row and the proximal row of the stent.
-
9. An expandable stent having a proximal end, a distal end and a longitudinal axis, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of first circumferential bands arranged along the longitudinal axis of the stent, each first circumferential band defining a generally serpentine pattern comprising a plurality of strut members and a plurality of loops;
b) a second circumferential band disposed at least at one end of the stent, each second circumferential band defining a generally serpentine pattern comprising a plurality of strut members and a plurality of loops, wherein the strut members of each second circumferential band are shorter in length than the strut members of each first circumferential band; and
c) a plurality of flexible connectors coupling adjacent circumferential bands. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. An expandable stent, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal section, a central section, a distal section and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with at least one row of cells disposed in the distal section of the stent, at least one row of cells disposed in the central section of the stent, and at least one row of cells disposed in the a proximal section of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the first and second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the distal section of the stent are more flexible than the first and second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the central section of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. An expandable stent, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal section, a central section, a distal section and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with at least one row of cells disposed in the distal section of the stent, at least one row of cells disposed in the central section of the stent and at least one row of cells disposed in the proximal section of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the first and second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the distal section are narrower than the first and the second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the central section of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. An expandable stent, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal section, a central section, a distal section and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with at least one row of cells disposed in the distal section of the stent, at least one row of cells disposed in the central section of the stent and at least one row of cells disposed in the proximal section of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the first and second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the distal section are formed of a smaller gauge material than the material of the first and the second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the central section of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
-
-
33. An expandable stent, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal section, a central section, a distal section and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with at least one row of cells disposed in the distal section of the stent, at least one row of cells disposed in the central section of the stent, and at least one row of cells disposed in the a proximal section of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the first and second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the proximal section of the stent are more flexible than the first and second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the central section of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35)
-
-
36. An expandable stent, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal section, a central section, a distal section and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with at least one row of cells disposed in the distal section of the stent, at least one row of cells disposed in the central section of the stent and at least one row of cells disposed in the proximal section of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the first and second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the proximal section are narrower than the first and the second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the central section of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. An expandable stent, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal section, a central section, a distal section and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with at least one row of cells disposed in the distal section of the stent, at least one row of cells disposed in the central section of the stent and at least one row of cells disposed in the proximal section of the stent, each of the flexible cells comprising a first member, a second member, a third member and, a fourth member;
b) a first C-shaped loop disposed between the first member and the third member;
c) a second C-shaped loop disposed between the second member and the fourth member;
d) a first flexible connector disposed between the first member and the second member; and
e) a second flexible connector disposed between the third member and the fourth member, wherein the first and second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the proximal section are formed of a smaller gauge material than the material of the first and the second flexible connectors in the cells of the at least one row of cells in the central section of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42)
-
-
43. An expandable stent having a proximal section, a central section, a distal section and a longitudinal axis, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of circumferential bands arranged along the longitudinal axis of the stent, each circumferential band defining a generally serpentine pattern comprising a plurality of strut members and a plurality of loops, wherein at least two circumferential bands are disposed in the proximal section of the stent, at least two circumferential bands are disposed in the central section of the stent and at least two circumferential bands are disposed in the distal section of the stent; and
b) a plurality of flexible connectors coupling adjacent circumferential bands, wherein the flexible connectors coupling the at least two circumferential bands disposed in the distal section of the stent are more flexible than the flexible connectors coupling the at least two circumferential bands disposed in the central section of the stent. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46)
-
-
47. An expandable stent having a proximal section, a central section, a distal section and a longitudinal axis, comprising:
-
a) a plurality of circumferential bands arranged along the longitudinal axis of the stent, each circumferential band defining a generally serpentine pattern comprising a plurality of strut members and a plurality of loops, wherein at least two circumferential bands are disposed in the proximal section of the stent, at least two circumferential bands are disposed in the central section of the stent and at least two circumferential bands are disposed in the distal section of the stent; and
b) a plurality of flexible connectors coupling adjacent circumferential bands, wherein the flexible connectors coupling the at least two circumferential bands disposed in the proximal section of the stent are more flexible than the flexible connectors coupling the at least two circumferential bands disposed in the central section of the stent.
-
- 48. An expandable stent for implanting in a lumen having variable characteristics, the expandable stent having a distal end, a proximal end and a longitudinal axis and comprising a plurality of flexible cells arranged in a plurality of flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent, wherein at least one flexible row of cells has physical properties to accommodate the characteristics of the portion of the lumen with which the at least one flexible row of cells is in contact when the stent is implanted in the lumen.
-
53. An expandable stent having a distal end, a proximal end and a longitudinal axis and comprising a plurality of flexible cells arranged in a plurality of flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent, wherein at least one flexible row of cells has at least one cell that is larger than the cells of at least one other flexible row of cells to provide access to insert a second stent into a side branch in the lumen.
-
54. A expandable stent, comprising, in its expanded condition:
- a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end, a central section and a distal end and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with at least one distal row disposed at the distal end of the stent and at least one proximal row disposed at the proximal end of the stent, wherein the cells disposed in the at least one row at an end of the stent exert greater radial force and are more flexible than the cells disposed in the rows in the central section.
- View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
-
61. A expandable stent, comprising in its expanded condition:
- a plurality of interconnected flexible cells defining a stent having a proximal end, a central section and a distal end and a longitudinal axis, the cells arranged in a plurality of interconnected flexible rows disposed along the longitudinal axis of the stent with at least one distal row disposed at the distal end of the stent and at least one proximal row disposed at the proximal end of the stent, wherein the cells disposed in the at least one row at an end of the stent are more flexible than the cells disposed in the rows in the central section.
- View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
Specification