Selectively coating luminal surfaces of stents

• US 20070141232A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Fox, William, Harold, Nathan, Tochterman, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,867,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/2.250
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/02 Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work B05B13/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/0627 Arrangements of nozzles or spray heads specially adapted for treating the inside of hollow bodies B05B13/0645 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/0636 by means of rotatable spray heads or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/0654 and a treating nozzles being translated through the hollow bodies in a direction essentially parallel to the rotational axis B05B13/0681 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/32 using means for protecting parts of a surface not to be coated, e.g. using stencils, resists
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2258/02 The objects being coated one after the other
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 7/22 to internal surfaces, e.g. of tubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53678 Compressing parts together face to face
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53683 Spreading parts apart or separating them from face to face engagement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53909 Means comprising hand manipulatable tool

Abstract

With abluminal side of a stent masked, the luminal side of the stent is selectively coated with a substance, such as an anti-coagulant, a platelet inhibitor and/or a pro-healing substance. The stent can be masked by inserting it into a rigid mandrel chamber or by compressing a masking sleeve onto the outer side of the stent. A spray nozzle inserted into the masked stent spray coats the substance onto the luminal side. The sprayed coating can be cured onto the stent such as by inserting an electrical-resistance heater bar into the stent.

Claims

1. A coating method, comprising:

masking an abluminal side of a stent; and

coating a luminal side of the masked stent with a coating substance.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the masking includes positioning the stent in a masking sleeve.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the masking sleeve has a fixed, rigid interior diameter.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the masking sleeve comprises a mandrel having a stent masking chamber forming the interior diameter.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the mandrel has a pocket at a distal end of the stent masking chamber, and the coating includes positioning a tip of a coating spray nozzle in the pocket.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising after the coating, removing the coated stent from the stent masking chamber and cleaning the chamber.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the masking sleeve is a compressible masking sleeve.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the masking includes compressing the masking sleeve onto the abluminal side.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the compressing comprises mechanically compressing the sleeve.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the compressing comprises pneumatically compressing the sleeve.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising after the coating, inserting a heater into the masked sleeve and curing the coating substance onto the luminal side.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the masking includes positioning the stent in a stent masking chamber of a mandrel, the mandrel having a pocket at a distal end of the chamber, and the curing includes positioning a distal tip of the heater in the pocket.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising after the coating, injecting hot gas into the masked stent to cure the coating substance onto the luminal side.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the stent is a primer adhesion layer coated stent.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating includes spraying the coating substance using a spray nozzle positioned in the inner diameter of the masked stent.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the spraying includes moving the masked stent relative to the spray nozzle.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the spraying includes moving the spray nozzle relative to the masked stent.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating is by spray coating, roll coating, electrostatic coating or vapor deposition coating.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the coating substance is a polymer-solvent-drug formulation.

20. A coating method, comprising:

compressing a sleeve onto an abluminal side of a stent to mask the abluminal guide; and

coating a luminal side of the masked stent with a coating substance.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the compressing includes mechanical compressing.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the mechanical compressing uses a radial closure mechanism.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the compressing includes pneumatic compressing.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein the sleeve is a compliant plastic sleeve.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the coating includes inserting a nozzle into the masked stent and spray coating the luminal side with the nozzle.

26. A stent support assembly, comprising:

a support including a chamber for receiving a stent; and

a pocket positioned at an end of the chamber such an opening diameter of the pocket is smaller than a diameter of the chamber so as to prevent the stent from penetrating into the pocket.

27. The assembly of claim 26 wherein the support is configured to mask an abluminal side of the stent during application of a coating composition to a luminal side to the stent.

28. The assembly of claim 26 wherein the length of the chamber is equal to or larger than the length of the stent.

29. The assembly of claim 26 wherein the support includes a channel for allowing gas to be applied into the chamber.

30. The assembly of claim 26 additionally comprising a heating element circumscribing at least a part of the support for providing heat into the chamber.

31. The assembly of claim 26 additionally including a coating applicator configured to be inserted into the stent.

32. The assembly of claim 31 wherein the coating applicator can be moved back and forth with respect to the stent.

33. The assembly of claim 31 wherein the coating applicator can be rotated with respect to the stent.

34. The assembly of claim 26 additionally comprising means for rotating the stent and/or moving the stent in a linear direction.

35. A stent coating assembly, comprising:

a support element in which a stent can be placed, the support element capable of being adjusted from a large diameter to a small diameter to compress against an abluminal side of the stent and to mask the stent during the application of a coating substance.

36. The assembly of claim 35 wherein the support includes an elastic membrane for being compressed against the abluminal side of the stent such that the membrane can at least partially protrude into gaps between struts of the stent for masking at least a segment of sidewalls of the struts.

37. The assembly of claim 35 additionally including a nozzle for penetrating into the stent for application of a coating substance to a luminal side of the stent.