ENDOPROSTHESIS HAVING FLEXIBLE CONNECTORS

• US 20090163992A1
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Limited (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Limited (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Newhauser, Richard, Osman, Karim
• Granted Patent: US 8,337,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.150
• 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 2002/91558 connected peak to peak

Abstract

The present invention relates to an endoprosthesis for delivery in a body lumen that includes a plurality of web rings coupled one to the other by flexible connectors, which are structured to absorb at least some of the axial and torsional stresses applied to the endoprosthesis and to improve resistance of the endoprosthesis to clinical fatigue. The connectors are each composed of struts sequentially adjoined one to the other, with foot-shaped extensions protruding at the intersections of pairs of the struts.

Claims

1. An endoprosthesis for delivery in a body lumen comprising:

a web structure defining an essentially tubular body expandable from a contracted delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration;

a plurality of longitudinally adjacent web rings defining the web structure; and

a plurality of sequentially adjoined web elements defining the web rings, the web elements being disposed substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the essentially tubular body when in the contracted delivery configuration, pairs of the web elements being sequentially adjoined at junction bends,

wherein a first junction bend in a first web ring is connected to a second junction bend in a second web ring by a connector having a plurality of struts sequentially adjoined at intersections,

wherein a foot extension extends from at least some of the intersections, and

wherein the foot extension includes an essentially rectilinear portion providing the sole portion of the foot extension and an essentially arcuate portion providing the toe portion of the foot extension.

2. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the plurality of struts are disposed transversally in relation to the longitudinal axis, and wherein the sole portion is disposed essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis.

3. The endoprosthesis of claim 2, wherein the connector includes three struts and two foot extensions, and wherein each of the two foot extensions couples a pair of the struts.

4. The endoprosthesis of claim 3, wherein the foot extension nearer to the first web ring is oriented towards the second web ring, and wherein the foot extension nearer to the second web ring is oriented towards the first web ring.

5. The endoprosthesis of claim 3, wherein two of the struts are disposed at an angle between about 95 and about 115 degrees in relation to the longitudinal axis, and wherein one of the struts is disposed at an angle between about 75 and about 85 degrees in relation to the longitudinal axis.

6. The endoprosthesis of claim 2, wherein one of more of the struts are multi-segment or curvilinear struts.

7. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first and the second junction bend are laterally offset one in relation to the other.

8. The endoprosthesis of claim 7, wherein less than all junction bends in the first web ring are connected to another junction bend in the second web ring.

9. The endoprosthesis of claim 8, wherein the connectors connecting the first web ring to the second web ring are laterally offset in relation to the connectors connecting the second web ring to a third web ring.

10. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the struts are of unequal lengths.

11. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the connectors disposed between the first and the second web ring are oriented symmetrically in relation to the connectors disposed between the second and a third web rings.

12. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the connector connects the midpoint of the first junction bend to the midpoint of the second junction bends.

13. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the connector connects a first point substantially at one end of the first junction bend to a second point substantially at one end of the second junction bend.

14. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the intersections between the connector and the first and second web rings have arcuate profiles.

15. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein each of the web elements comprises a central member having a first and a second ends,

wherein the central member is disposed essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis in the contracted delivery configuration,

wherein the central member is connected at the first end to a first end member at a first obtuse angle, and

wherein the central member is connected at the second end to a second end member at a second obtuse angle.

19. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the web structure is configured to self-expand from the contracted delivery configuration to the expanded deployed configuration.

20. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the web structure is configured to expand from the contracted delivery configuration to the expanded deployed configuration by application of a radial pressure to an interior surface of the essentially tubular body.

16. The endoprosthesis of claim 16, wherein the first and the second obtuse angles are essentially equal.

17. The endoprosthesis of claim 16, wherein the web elements of each web ring are nested one into the other in the contracted delivery configuration, and wherein the junction bends have an arcuate shape.

18. The endoprosthesis of claim 16, wherein the web elements in the first web ring are oriented at approximately 180 degrees in relation to the web elements in the neighboring web ring.