METHODS OF FABRICATING STENTS WITH ENHANCED FRACTURE TOUGHNESS
First Claim
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1. A method of making a stent comprising:
- radially expanding a polymer tube to about 400% to 800% of a starting diameter of the tube to increase the radial stiffness of the tube; and
forming a plurality of rings from the radially expanded tube, wherein a ring forms a plurality of cells, each of the cells being defined by opposed ends separated by a circumferential distance and opposed bending elements extending between and connecting the opposed ends, and wherein an adjacent pair of rings are interconnected by a linking element.
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Abstract
Stents and methods of manufacturing a stents with enhanced fracture toughness are disclosed.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of making a stent comprising:
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radially expanding a polymer tube to about 400% to 800% of a starting diameter of the tube to increase the radial stiffness of the tube; and forming a plurality of rings from the radially expanded tube, wherein a ring forms a plurality of cells, each of the cells being defined by opposed ends separated by a circumferential distance and opposed bending elements extending between and connecting the opposed ends, and wherein an adjacent pair of rings are interconnected by a linking element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of making a stent comprising:
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radially expanding a polymer tube at a temperature in which the crystal nucleation rate is at least twice the crystal growth rate to both increase radial stiffness and enhance fracture toughness in the polymer tube; and forming a plurality of rings from the radially expanded tube; wherein a ring includes a plurality of cells, each of which being defined by opposed ends separated by a circumferential distance and opposed bending elements extending between and connecting the opposed ends. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of making a stent comprising:
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radially expanding a polymer tube at a temperature in which the crystal nucleation rate is larger than the crystal growth rate, such that the size of crystal domains is less than 10 microns and/or the crystallinity is less than 50% in the expanded polymer tube; forming a plurality of rings from the radially expanded tube; wherein a ring includes a plurality of cells, each of which being defined by opposed ends separated by a circumferential distance and opposed bending elements extending between and connecting the opposed ends. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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Specification