COMPOSITE STENT HAVING MULTI-AXIAL FLEXIBILITY
First Claim
1. A composite substrate for forming a stent structure, comprising:
- a tubular polymeric substrate having one or more segments reduced in diameter defined along a length of the substrate; and
,at least one layer of an elastomeric polymer coating laid atop an outer surface of the polymeric substrate such that the elastomeric polymer is contained within the one or more reduced segments to form elastomeric polymer segments.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Composite stent structures having multi-axial flexibility are described where the composite stent may have one or more layers of bioabsorbable polymers fabricated with the desired characteristics for implantation within a vessel. A number of individual ring structures separated from one another may be encased between a base polymeric layer and an overlaid polymeric layer such that the rings are coupled to one another via elastomeric segments which enable the composite stent to flex axially and rotationally along with the vessel. Each layer may have a characteristic that individually provides a certain aspect of mechanical behavior to the composite stent such that the aggregate layers form a composite polymeric stent structure capable of withstanding complex, multi-axial loading conditions imparted by an anatomical environment such as the SFA.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A composite substrate for forming a stent structure, comprising:
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a tubular polymeric substrate having one or more segments reduced in diameter defined along a length of the substrate; and
,at least one layer of an elastomeric polymer coating laid atop an outer surface of the polymeric substrate such that the elastomeric polymer is contained within the one or more reduced segments to form elastomeric polymer segments. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A composite stent structure, comprising:
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a first circumferential segment comprised of an elastomeric polymer; at least a second circumferential segment comprised of a non-elastomeric polymer substrate; and at least one connecting strut coupling the first and second circumferential segments such that the stent structure forms a contiguous and uniform structure. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for forming a composite stent structure, comprising:
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processing a polymeric tubular substrate such that one or more segments are reduced in diameter along a length of the substrate between corresponding one or more ring segments; coating an elastomeric polymer upon an outer surface of the tubular substrate such that the elastomeric polymer is contained within the one or more reduced segments to form elastomeric polymer segments; and further processing the tubular substrate to form a stent structure having at least a first circumferential segment formed from the elastomeric polymer segment and at least a second circumferential segment formed from the polymeric tubular substrate, at least one connecting strut coupling the first and second circumferential segments such that the stent structure forms a contiguous and uniform structure. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A composite stent structure, comprising:
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a base polymeric layer; one or more ring structures having a formed first diameter and being separated from one another and positioned axially upon the base polymeric layer, the one or more ring structures being radially compressible to a smaller second diameter and re-expansion to the first diameter; an overlaid polymeric layer formed atop the base polymeric layer and the one or more ring structures, wherein the ring structures are encased between the base and overlaid polymeric layers and are coupled to one another via segments of the base and overlaid polymeric layer such that adjacent ring structures are axially and rotationally movable relative to one another and where the one or more ring structures are configured to be formed into a scaffold structure. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method of forming a composite stent structure, comprising:
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forming a base polymeric layer upon a mandrel; overlaying one or more ring structures upon the base polymeric layer such that the ring structures are separated from one another and positioned axially thereupon; forming an overlaid polymeric layer atop the base polymeric layer and the one or more ring structures; and forming the one or more ring structures into scaffold structures such that surfaces of the one or more ring structures are exposed from the base and overlaid polymeric layers. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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Specification