Highly Flexible Stent and Method of Manufacture

• US 20090204200A1
• Filed: 02/09/2007
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Angiomed GmbH & Co. Medizintechnik
• Original Assignee: Angiomed GmbH & Co. Medizintechnik KG
• Inventors: Jahrmarkt, Scott L., Slater, Charles R., Kratsch, Peter K., Bales, Thomas O. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 9,456,911 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.160
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/844 folded prior to deployment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• 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 2002/91508 the meander having a difference in amplitude along the band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91575 connected peak to trough
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91583 by a bridge, whereby at least one of its ends is connected along the length of a strut between two consecutive apices within a band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2310/00023 Titanium or titanium-based alloys, e.g. Ti-Ni alloys

Abstract

Preferred embodiments of a stent with a high degree of flexibility are shown and described. The stent can include a continuous helical winding and at least one bridge. The continuous helical winding has a plurality of circumferential sections that circumscribe a longitudinal axis from a first end to a second end to define a tube. The circumferential sections are spaced apart along the axis. The at least one bridge is configured to connect one circumferential section to an axially-spaced adjacent circumferential section. The at least one bridge extends on a plane generally orthogonal with respect to the axis.

Claims

1. (canceled)

8. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein the bridge comprises a minimum width greater than a width of any segments that define the undulations.

19. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein at least one generally rectangular marker is connected to a circumferential section proximate one of the first and second ends, the rectangular marker having its length extending generally parallel to the axis and its width is greater than two times the width of any strut segments of the undulations.

22. The implantable prosthesis of claim 1, wherein a ratio of a number of struts about one circumferential section to a strut length in inches being greater than 800 per inch.

23. The implantable prosthesis according to claim 22, wherein said ratio is greater than 1000 per inch.

26. The implantable prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein a number of struts in one circumferential section of the helical winding are between 36 and 58.

27. The implantable prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein a first number of struts between any two bridges in a first direction along the helical winding of a circumferential section is equal to a second number of struts between any two bridges in a second direction opposite the first along the circumferential section of the helical winding.

28. The implantable prosthesis according claim 27, wherein the first number is selected from a group consisting of 3, 5, 7, and 9, and the second number is selected from a group consisting of 3, 5, 7, and 9.

30. The implantable prosthesis according to claim 1, wherein a first number of struts between any two bridges in a first direction along the helical winding of a circumferential section is not equal to a second number of struts between any two bridges in a second direction opposite the first along the circumferential section of the helical winding.

31. The implantable prosthesis according claim 30, wherein the first number is selected from a group consisting of 3, 5, 7, and 9, and the second number is selected from a group consisting of 3, 5, 7, and 9.

32. The implantable prosthesis according to claim 31, wherein the first number is equal to five and the second number is equal to seven.

33. The implantable prosthesis according to claim 31, wherein the first number is equal to three and the second number is equal to five.

2. An implantable prosthesis comprising:

a continuous helical winding having a plurality of circumferential sections circumscribing a longitudinal axis from a first end to a second end to define a tube, the circumferential sections being spaced apart along the axis; and

at least one bridge configured to connect one circumferential section to an axially-spaced adjacent circumferential section, each circumferential section having undulations disposed about the tube, the undulations having at least one segment connected to the bridge where the at least one segment has a length greater than a length of other segments unconnected to the bridge.

21. The implantable prosthesis of claim 2, wherein the width of the at least one strut segment is approximately 80% of a width of a bridge.

3. An implantable prosthesis comprising:

a continuous helical winding having a plurality of circumferential sections circumscribing a longitudinal axis from a first end to a second end to define a tube, the circumferential sections being spaced apart along the axis, each circumferential section having undulations disposed about the tube, each undulation defined by an intersection of two segments that form an vertex; and

at least one bridge configured to connect one circumferential section to an axially-spaced adjacent circumferential section, the at least one bridge connected to the adjacent undulations at respective locations other than the vertices of the adjacent undulations.

4. An implantable prosthesis comprising:

a continuous helical winding having a plurality of circumferential sections circumscribing a longitudinal axis from a first end to a second end to define a tube, the circumferential sections being spaced apart along the axis;

at least one bridge configured to connect one circumferential section to an axially-spaced adjacent circumferential section, the at least one bridge extending on a plane generally orthogonal with respect to the axis; and

at least one annular ring connected to one of the first and second ends of the continuous helical winding.

5-7. -7. (canceled)

9-18. -18. (canceled)

20. (canceled)

24-25. -25. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

34-36. -36. (canceled)