IMPLANTABLE AND LUMEN-SUPPORTING STENTS AND RELATED METHODS OF MANUFACTURE AND USE
First Claim
1. An implantable medical stent system, comprising:
- a radially expandable stent comprising a filamental structure in a pattern surrounding a bore to form a substantially tubular wall along a length relative to a longitudinal axis;
wherein the filamental structure comprises at least one arcuate crown with a crown peak having a radius of curvature located along a reference axis, and first and second arcuate crown shoulders on first and second sides, respectively, of the reference axis;
wherein the filamental structure also comprises at least one pair of adjacent first and second elongated struts extending from the first and second crown shoulders, respectively; and
wherein the arcuate crown peak comprises at least one of (a) a peak width that is greater than at least one of first and second shoulder widths along the first and second respective crown shoulders, (b) an outer radius of curvature about a first center that is offset from a second center of an inner radius of curvature, and (c) a radial expansion characteristic with a strain distribution that is substantially lower than along at least one of the first and second crown shoulders.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An implantable stent includes multiple circumferential segments that surround a bore and are connected in series along a length to form a tubular wall. Multiple adjacent alternating opposite facing crowns arranged along each segment'"'"'s circumference are bridged by struts. The struts include a series of staggered arcuate edges with limited flats to provide a limited region of maximum width between significantly extended reducing diameter tapers at either end where they transition into the crowns. Connections between adjacent segments are wider and stiffer than the struts and strut-crown transitions in the segments. The crowns include inner and outer radii with off-set centers along a common axis to provide medial crown peaks along the axis that are wider than the narrowed crown shoulders on either side of the axis and from which the tapered struts extend. Material strain and flexure along the stent during lateral bending is distributed mainly within the segments, e.g. along the struts or crowns, versus at the connections between segments. Material strain and deformation during radial expansion is principally concentrated at the crown shoulders and tapered transition region with the struts. Particular closed-open-closed arrangements along the stent length are disclosed, though with fewer stent connections in the relatively “closed” end-portions along the stent than are provided by other typically “open” cell stents in prior use. Enhanced combinations of performance characteristics are provided regarding visibility, trackability, expansion characteristics, fatigue failures, coating integrity, and local drug delivery from the stent.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An implantable medical stent system, comprising:
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a radially expandable stent comprising a filamental structure in a pattern surrounding a bore to form a substantially tubular wall along a length relative to a longitudinal axis; wherein the filamental structure comprises at least one arcuate crown with a crown peak having a radius of curvature located along a reference axis, and first and second arcuate crown shoulders on first and second sides, respectively, of the reference axis; wherein the filamental structure also comprises at least one pair of adjacent first and second elongated struts extending from the first and second crown shoulders, respectively; and wherein the arcuate crown peak comprises at least one of (a) a peak width that is greater than at least one of first and second shoulder widths along the first and second respective crown shoulders, (b) an outer radius of curvature about a first center that is offset from a second center of an inner radius of curvature, and (c) a radial expansion characteristic with a strain distribution that is substantially lower than along at least one of the first and second crown shoulders. - View Dependent Claims (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 24, 25)
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2. An implantable medical stent system, comprising:
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a radially expandable stent comprising a plurality of adjacent circumferential segments that comprise patterned filamental structures that surround a bore and are arranged in series along a length relative to a longitudinal axis to thereby form a substantially tubular wall along the length; wherein each pair of adjacent segments is connected by at least one of a plurality of connections between segments; and wherein each connection comprises at least one of (a) a longitudinal bending stiffness that is greater than a longitudinal bending stiffness along either adjacent segment such that upon an applied force of deflection lateral to the longitudinal axis the stent exhibits more longitudinal flexure within the segments than at the connections, and (b) a minimum width that is greater than a minimum width along a patterned filamental structure comprised by at least one of the adjacent segments. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 18, 26)
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3. An implantable medical stent system, comprising:
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a radially expandable stent comprising a filamental structure in a pattern forming a substantially tubular wall surrounding a bore along a length relative to a longitudinal axis, and with a plurality of adjacent alternating opposite facing arcuate crowns bridged by a plurality of elongated struts; wherein each crown comprises an arcuate crown peak with a radius of curvature located along a reference axis, and first and second arcuate crown shoulders on first and second opposite sides, respectively, of the reference axis; wherein each elongated strut extends over a length with an intermediate portion located between first and second end portions along the strut length, and also with inner and outer opposite edges relative to the reference axis; wherein the first and second end portions of each strut are coupled to the first and second crown shoulders, respectively, of first and second adjacent opposite facing crowns, respectively; and wherein each strut comprises at least one of (a) a maximum width along the intermediate portion that is greater than a width along the first and second end portions and that extends over less than one-half of the strut length, (b) a maximum width along the intermediate portion that is substantially greater than a radial thickness thereof;
(c) a maximum width that is substantially greater than a width of the respectively adjacent crowns at either a crown shoulder or a crown peak thereof;
(d) inner and outer radii along the inner and outer edges of the first end portion and that are substantially similar to outer and inner radii along the outer and inner edges of the second end portion, and (e) inner and outer substantially straight regions along the respective inner and outer opposite edges that are substantially offset such that a majority of each straight region does not overlap with the other straight region along the strut length and is associated with an arcuate region along the opposite edge. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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4. An implantable medical stent system, comprising:
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a radially expandable stent comprising a filamental structure in a pattern surrounding a bore to form a substantially tubular wall along a length relative to a longitudinal axis; wherein the filamental structure comprises at least one high strain region and at least one low strain region along the pattern; wherein the filamental structure comprises a material strain distribution under deflection force of lateral bending or radial expansion relative to the longitudinal axis that is principally locally concentrated along the high strain region; and wherein the low strain region comprises at least one of (a) a width in a circumferential plane around the longitudinal axis that is substantially greater than a width of the high strain region along the longitudinal axis, (b) a width that is substantially greater than a radial thickness at the respective low strain region, and (c) a substantially increased radiopacity versus the high strain region. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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5. A method of deflecting a stent for at least one of radial expansion and lateral bending of the stent, comprising:
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applying a deflection force onto the stent for at least one of radial expansion and lateral bending of the stent; wherein in response to the deflection force the stent undergoes a material strain that is principally locally distributed along at least one of (a) a plurality of adjacent circumferential segments that surround a bore and are connected in series to form a substantially tubular wall along a longitudinal axis, and (b) a patterned filamental structure of the stent at a plurality of transition regions where a plurality of struts of the filamental structure extend between a plurality of crown shoulders of a plurality of opposite facing crowns of the filamental structure.
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Specification