ALTERNATING CIRCUMFERENTIAL BRIDGE STENT DESIGN AND METHODS FOR USE THEREOF

• US 20110230957A1
• Filed: 05/03/2011
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Confluent Medical Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Confluent Medical Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Les, Andrea Seba, Bonsignore, Craig L., Kleshinski, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,649,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/044 Oesophagi or esophagi or gullets
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/008 paraboloidal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0018 differing in elasticity, stiffness or compressibility
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0036 differing in thickness
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 1/3655 Arterio-venous shunts or fistulae

Abstract

A stent includes a first section and a second section. The second section is aligned with the first section along a longitudinal axis of the stent. Each section includes a plurality of expandable modules and a plurality of bridging modules. Each expandable module includes a plurality of strut elements that join together at a plurality of apices. Each bridging module includes bridging elements that connect an apex of a first module with an apex of a second module. The plurality of expandable modules or the plurality of bridging modules in the first section are more radially stiff than the plurality of expandable modules or the plurality of bridging modules in the second section such that at least a portion of the first section is configured to be placed in a region of a vein subjected to physiologic compression.

Claims

1. A stent comprising:

a first section and a second section, the second section aligned with the first section along a longitudinal axis of the stent, each section including;

a plurality of expandable modules, each expandable module including a plurality of strut elements that join together at a plurality of apices; and

a plurality of bridging modules, each bridging module including bridging elements that connect an apex of a first module with an apex of a second module;

Wherein the plurality of expandable modules or the plurality of bridging modules in the first section are more radially stiff than the plurality of expandable modules or the plurality of bridging modules in the second section such that at least a portion of the first section is configured to be placed in a region of a vein subjected to physiologic compression.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein the physiologic compression is arterial compression.

3. The stent of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bridging modules are arranged to alternate along the longitudinal axis between clockwise bridging modules and counterclockwise bridging modules, the clockwise bridging modules including bridging elements that extend at a clockwise angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, and the counterclockwise bridging modules including bridging elements that extend at a counterclockwise angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

4. The stent of claim 3, wherein the clockwise bridging modules are configured to counterbalance any rotation caused by the counterclockwise bridging modules.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the first section is configured to be placed in a left common iliac vein where the right common iliac artery crosses the left common iliac vein or in the left external iliac vein where the left internal iliac artery crosses the left external iliac vein.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first section has an axial length of between approximately 1 cm and 3 cm.

7. The stent of claim 6, wherein the axial length is approximately 2 cm.

8. The stent of claim 1, wherein the second section has an axial length of between approximately 4 cm and 10 cm.

9. The stent of claim 8, wherein the axial length is approximately 7 cm.

10. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first section has a radial stiffness that is approximately 1.1 to 3 times the radial stiffness of the second section.

11. The stent of claim 10, wherein the first section has a radial stiffness that is approximately 2 times the radial stiffness of the second section.

12. The stent of claim 1, wherein a length of each strut element in the first section is 5-50% lower than a length of each strut element in the second section.

13. The stent of claim 12, wherein the length of each strut element in the first section or in the second section is between approximately 1 mm and 4 mm.

14. The stent of claim 13, wherein the length of each strut element in the first section is approximately 2.1 mm, and wherein the length of each strut element in the second section is approximately 2.5 mm.

15. The stent of claim 1, wherein a width of each strut element in the first section is 5-50% higher than a width of each strut element in the second section.

16. The stent of claim 15, wherein the width of each strut element in the first section or in the second section is between approximately 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm.

17. The stent of claim 16, wherein the width of each strut element in the first section is approximately 0.16 mm, and wherein the width of each strut element in the second section is approximately 0.12 mm.

18. The stent of claim 1, wherein a length of each bridging element in the first section is 5-50% shorter than a length of each bridging element in the second section.

19. The stent of claim 18, wherein the length of each bridging element in the first section or in the second section is between approximately 1 mm to 10 mm.

20. The stent of claim 19, wherein the length of each bridging element in the first section is approximately 6 mm, and wherein the length of each bridging element in the second section is approximately 7 mm.

21. The stent of claim 1, wherein a width of each bridging element in the first section is 5-50% higher than a width of each bridging element in the second section.

22. The stent of claim 21, wherein the width of each bridging element in the first section or in the second section is approximately 0.07 mm to 0.3 mm.

23. The stent of claim 22, wherein the width of each bridging element in the first section is approximately 0.12 mm, and wherein the width of each bridging element in the second section is approximately 0.1 mm.

24. The stent of claim 1, further comprising a third section, the third section adjacent to the second section and located along the longitudinal axis of the stent, the third section more radially stiff than the second section such that at least a portion of the third section is configured to be placed in the vein in a second region of physiologic compression.

25. The stent of claim 24, wherein the third section is configured to have an axial length of approximately 1 cm to 3 cm.

26. The stent of claim 25, wherein the axial length is approximately 2 cm.

27. The stent of claim 24, wherein the at least a portion of the first section is configured to be placed in a left common iliac vein where a right common iliac artery crosses the left common iliac vein, and wherein the at least a portion of the third section is configured to be placed in a left internal iliac artery wherein the left internal iliac artery crosses the left external iliac vein.

28. The stent of claim 24, further comprising a fourth section located along the longitudinal axis of the stent, the fourth section more flexible than the first and third sections such that at least a portion of the fourth section is configured to be placed in an area of the vein having high curvature.

29. The stent of claim 28, wherein the fourth section is configured to have an axial length of approximately 3 cm to 5 cm.

30. The stent of claim 29, wherein the axial length is approximately 4 cm.

31. The stent of claim 27, wherein the at least a portion of the fourth section is configured to be placed in the left common iliac vein where the left iliac vein approaches or crosses an inguinal ligament.

32. A stent comprising:

a first section and a second section, the second section aligned with the first section along a longitudinal axis of the stent, each section including;

a plurality of expandable modules, each expandable module including a plurality of strut elements that join together at a plurality of apices; and

a plurality of bridging modules, each bridging module including bridging elements that connect an apex of a first module with an apex of a second module;

wherein the plurality of expandable modules or the plurality of the bridging modules in the first section are more flexible than the plurality of expandable modules or the plurality of the bridging modules in the second section such that at least a portion of the first section is configured to be placed in a region of a vein having high curvature.

33. The stent of claim 32, wherein the region of the vein having high curvature is an area where the vein crosses a ligament.

34. The stent of claim 32, wherein the plurality of bridging modules are arranged to alternate along the longitudinal axis between clockwise bridging modules and counterclockwise bridging modules, the clockwise bridging modules including bridging elements that extend at a clockwise angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, and the counterclockwise bridging modules including bridging elements that extend at a counterclockwise angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

35. The stent of claim 34, wherein the clockwise bridging modules are configured to counterbalance any rotation caused by the counterclockwise bridging modules.

36. The stent of claim 32, wherein the at least a portion of the first section is configured to be placed in a left common iliac vein where the left iliac vein approaches or crosses the inguinal ligament.

37. The stent of claim 32, wherein the first section has an axial length of between approximately 3 cm and 5 cm.

38. The stent of claim 37, wherein the axial length is approximately 4 cm.

39. The stent of claim 32, wherein the first section has a flexibility that is approximately 1.1 to 3 times the flexibility of the second section.

40. The stent of claim 39, wherein the first section has a flexibility that is approximately 2 times the flexibility of the second section.

41. The stent of claim 32, wherein a length of each strut element in the first section is 5-50% higher than a length of each strut element in the second section.

42. The stent of claim 41, wherein the length of each element in the first section or in the second section is between approximately 1 mm and 4 mm.

43. The stent of claim 42, wherein the length of each strut element in the first section is approximately 3.0 mm, and wherein the length of each strut element in the second section is approximately 2.5 mm.

44. The stent of claim 32, wherein a width of each strut element in the first section is 5-50% lower than a width of each strut element in the second section.

45. The stent of claim 44, wherein the width of each strut element in the first section or in the second section is between approximately 0.1 mm and 0.3 mm.

46. The stent of claim 45, wherein the width of each strut element in the first section is approximately 0.1 mm, and wherein the width of each strut element in the second section is approximately 0.12 mm.

47. The stent of claim 32, wherein a length of each bridging element in the first section is 5-50% higher than a length of each bridging element in the second section.

48. The stent of claim 47, wherein the length of each bridging element in the first section or in the second section is between approximately 1 mm and 10 mm.

49. The stent of claim 48, wherein the length of each bridging element in the first section is approximately 8 mm, and wherein the length of each bridging element in the second section is approximately 7 mm.

50. The stent of claim 32, wherein a width of each bridging element in the first section is 5-50% lower than a width of each bridging element in the second section.

51. The stent of claim 50, wherein the width of each bridging element in the first section or in the second section is approximately 0.07 mm to 0.3 mm.

52. The stent of claim 51, wherein the width of each bridging element in the first section is approximately 0.08 mm, and wherein the width of each bridging element in the second section is approximately 0.1 mm.

53. The stent of claim 32, further comprising a third section, the third section adjacent to the second section and located along the longitudinal axis of the stent, the third section more radially stiff than the second section such that at least a portion of the third section is configured to be placed in the vein in a region of physiologic compression.

54. A method of inserting a stent, comprising:

inserting a stent into a vein, the stent comprising a first section and a second section, wherein the first section is more radially stiff than the second section, the first section and the second section each including;

a plurality of expandable modules, each expandable module comprising a plurality of strut elements that join together at a plurality of apices; and

a plurality of bridging modules, each bridging module including bridging elements that connect an apex of a first module with an apex of a second module; and

aligning at least a portion of the first section with a region of the vein that is subjected to physiologic compression.

55. A method of inserting a stent, comprising:

inserting a stent into a vein, the stent comprising a first section and a second section, wherein the first section is more flexible than the second section, the first section and the second section each including;

a plurality of expandable modules, each expandable module comprising a plurality of strut elements that join together at a plurality of apices; and

a plurality of bridging modules, each bridging module including bridging elements that connect an apex of a first module with an apex of a second module; and

aligning at least a portion of the first section with a region of the vein that has high curvature.