Intravascular stent

• US 6,039,756 A
• Filed: 10/14/1997
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Jang G. David
• Inventors: Jang, G. David
• Primary Examiner(s): Milano, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US08/949,865
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1, 623/11, 623/12
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• 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 2002/91525 within the whole structure different bands showing different meander characteristics, e.g. frequency or amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0013 Horseshoe-shaped, e.g. crescent-shaped, C-shaped, U-shaped

Abstract

A stent in a non-expanded state includes a plurality of a first column expansion strut pairs that form a first expansion column, a plurality of second column expansion strut pairs that form a second expansion column and a plurality of first serial connecting struts that form a first connecting strut column. The first connecting strut column couples the first expansion column to the second expansion column. At least a portion of the plurality of the first serial connecting struts have a first stair-step and a second stair-step. The first expansion column, second expansion column, and first connecting strut column form a plurality of geometric cells. At least a portion of the plurality of geometric cells are asymmetrical geometric cells.

Claims

1. A stent in a non-expanded state, comprising:

a first column expansion strut pair, a plurality of the first column expansion strut pair forming a first expansion column;

a second column expansion strut pair, a plurality of the second column expansion strut pair forming a second expansion column; and

a first serial connecting strut, a plurality of first serial connecting struts forming a first connecting strut column, the plurality of first serial connecting struts coupling the first expansion column to the second expansion column and at least a portion of the plurality of the first serial connecting struts have a first stair-step with a first slant angle arc of greater than 90° and

a second stair-step stair-step with a second slant angle arc of greater than 90°

; and

wherein the first expansion column, the second expansion column, and the first connecting strut column form a plurality of geometric cells and at least a portion of the plurality are asymmetrical geometric cells.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first column expansion strut pair defines a first column loop slot, and the second column expansion strut pair defines a second column loop slot.

3. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first stair-step and the second stair-step of the first serial connecting strut each have a different length.

4. A stent in a non-expanded state, comprising:

a first expansion column formed of a plurality of first expansion struts;

a second expansion column formed of a plurality of second expansion struts;

a first connecting strut column formed of a plurality of first connecting struts, wherein the first connecting strut column couples the first expansion column to the second expansion column and at least a portion of the plurality of first connecting struts include a first stair-step with a first slant angle arc of greater than 90° and

a second stair-step with a second slant angle arc of greater than 90°

.

5. The stent of claim 4, wherein an arc of the first slant angle is different from an arc of the second slant angle.

6. A stent in a non-expanded state, comprising:

a first expansion column formed of a plurality of first expansion column strut pairs, a first expansion column first strut pair including a first expansion strut adjacent to a second expansion strut and a first expansion column first joining strut that couples the first and second expansion struts at a distal end of the first expansion strut pair, the first expansion column first joining strut having a first joining strut first corner and a first joining strut second corner;

a second expansion column formed of a plurality of second expansion column strut pairs, a second column first expansion strut pair including a first expansion strut adjacent to a second expansion strut and a second expansion column first joining strut that couples the first and second expansion struts at a proximal end of the first expansion strut pair, the second expansion column first joining strut having a first joining strut first corner and a first joining strut second corner; and

a first serial connecting strut coupling the first expansion column first joining strut to the second expansion column first joining strut, the first serial connecting strut including a first stair-step stair-step with a first slant angle arc of greater than 90° and

a second stair-step with a second slant angle arc of greater than 90°

.

7. The stent of claim 6, wherein the first stair-step is coupled to the first joining strut first corner of the first expansion column first joining strut, and the second stair-step is coupled to the first joining strut first corner of the second expansion column first joining strut.

8. The stent of claim 6, wherein a stress relief notch is formed in the first stair-step.

9. The stent of claim 7, wherein the first stair-step includes a stress relief notch formed where the first stair-step is coupled to the first joining strut first corner of the first expansion column first joining strut.