Balloon-Expandable, Self-Expanding, Vascular Prosthesis Connecting Stent

• US 20090216314A1
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Published: 08/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edwards Lifesciences CardiAQ LLC (Edwards Lifesciences Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiaq Valve Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Quadri, Arshad
• Granted Patent: US 8,092,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.170
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2418 Scaffolds therefor, e.g. support stents
• 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: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8483 Barbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8486 provided on at least one of the ends
• 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 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0013 Horseshoe-shaped, e.g. crescent-shaped, C-shaped, U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped

Abstract

An expandable vascular stent includes an m×n array of ovals formed in a cylinder, m being the number of columns of ovals in the circumferential direction and n being the number of rows of ovals in the axial direction, and a plurality of prongs extending inwardly from the outer ends of respective ovals in rows 1 and n of the m×n array, and being arranged in facing pairs extending from axially-aligned ovals. The cylinder is expandable from an initial diameter to a pre-determined final diameter, wherein an increase in the diameter of the stent results in a substantial decrease in the length of the stent. The tube and the prongs can be made of surgical stainless steel, the tube being expandable using an angioplasty balloon; or the tube and the prongs can be made of a memory metal and the tube is self-expanding.

Claims

1. An expandable vascular stent comprising

an m×

n array of ovals formed in a cylinder having a diameter, a circumference, an axis, and a length in the direction of the axis, where m is the number of columns of ovals in the circumferential direction and n is the number of rows of ovals in the axial direction, the ovals having a short axis and a long axis, the short axis of the ovals extending in the circumferential direction and the long axis of the ovals extending in the axial direction, the cylinder being expandable from an initial diameter to a pre-determined final diameter, wherein an increase in the diameter of the stent resulting in decrease in the length of the stent; and

connecting means located at rows 1 and n of the m×

n array for connecting the cylinder to a surrounding body.

2. The expandable vascular stent of claim 1, wherein the connecting means comprise a plurality of prongs extending inwardly from the outer ends of respective ovals in rows 1 and n of the m×

n array, the prongs being arranged in facing pairs extending from ovals that are in alignment in the axial direction.

3. The expandable vascular stent of claim 2, wherein the prongs are approximately collinear in ovals having a common long axis, and are approximately parallel in ovals having a common short axis.

4. The expandable vascular stent of claim 1, further comprising circumferential connectors connecting adjacent ovals to each other in the circumferential direction and axial connectors connecting adjacent ovals to each other in the axial direction.

5. The expandable vascular stent of claim 4, wherein the circumferential connectors and the axial connectors are positioned between the ovals coincident with the common short and long axes of the ovals, respectively.

6. The expandable vascular stent of claim 2, wherein prior to expansion of the cylinder, the prongs are pre-bent to have a hook configuration.

7. The expandable vascular stent of claim 2, wherein prior to expansion of the cylinder, the prongs substantially conform to the shape of the cylinder and after expansion, the prongs extend outwardly, from the cylinder to engage the surrounding body.

8. The expandable vascular stent of claim 1 where in on continued expansion due to the foreshortening of the ovals thus the stent the tissue in between the prongs form a stable connection to the desired tissue at the desired location.

9. The expandable vascular stent of claim 1, wherein the cylinder and the prongs are made of surgical stainless steel and the tube is expanded using an angioplasty balloon.

10. The expandable vascular stent of claim 1, wherein the cylinder and the prongs are made of a memory metal and the tube is self-expanding.

11. The expandable vascular stent of claim 1, further comprising a percutaneous heart valve seated inside the cylinder.

12. The expandable vascular stent of claim 4, further comprising prongs extending from at least some of the circumferential connectors between ovals in rows 1 and n.

13. The expandable vascular stent of claim 2, wherein each prong include a spine extending the length of the long axis of the oval and a furcation on either side of the spine at a location between the ends of the spine.

14. The expandable vascular stent of claim 13, wherein the spine has end hinge points at the ends thereof and an intermediate hinge point at the base of the furcations, and wherein the amount by which the ovals are foreshortened and the angle of the furcations upon expansion depends on the location of the intermediate hinge point relative to the end hinge points.