Coronary stent

• US 6,068,656 A
• Filed: 05/15/1998
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Limited (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Jomed Implantate GmbH
• Inventors: Von Oepen, Randolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Snow, Bruce
• Application Number:
  US09/080,086
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.1, 623/12, 623/1.15, 623/1.17, 623/1.3, 606/192, 606/194, 606/195
• US Class Current: 623/1.17
• 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 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped

Abstract

A coronary stent having a tubular, flexible body is disclosed. The body has a wall which has a web structure. The web structure has a plurality of neighboring cells which are defined by webs and which are each connected via joint webs to neighboring cells. The stent has in axial direction first and second cells that differ form one another and are alternately arranged in axial direction of the stent. The identical cells are provided in neighboring fashion in circumferential direction. In a non-expanded state of the stent, the first cells have folded webs at two opposite sides, and in the non-expanded state the second cells are provided at all sides with web portions that are folded and/or placed together.

Claims

1. A coronary stent comprising a tubular, flexible body having a wall formed by a web structure, said web structure comprising:

a plurality of first neighboring cells and a plurality of second neighboring cells which are defined by a plurality of circumferential webs and a plurality of axial webs that are connected together such that two of said circumferential webs and two of said axial webs define one of said first and second cells with adjacent ones of said first and second cells sharing one of said circumferential webs, said first and second cells being connected together to form a plurality of circumferentially extending rows of said first cells and a plurality of circumferentially extending rows of said second cells, said first cells differ from said second cells, said rows of said first cells and said rows of said second cells are alternately arranged in axial direction of said stent, said circumferential webs of each of said first and second cells being folded webs that are located at two opposite sides of said first and second cells when said stent is in a non-expanded state, and said axial webs of said second cells being folded webs that are placed together to overlap in a circumferential direction when said stent is in a non-expanded state, said circumferential webs of said first and second cells being arranged to expand in a circumferential direction of said tubular coronary stent when said tubular coronary stent is radially expanded and said axial webs of said second cells being arranged to expand in an axial direction of said tubular coronary stent by expansion of said circumferential webs in the circumferential direction when said tubular coronary stent is radially expanded.

2. The stent according to claim 1, wherein said folded webs of said first cells are arranged in zig-zag shaped fashion.

3. The stent according to claim 1, wherein

said folded webs of said first cells form a plurality of continuous tape portions extending in circumferential directions.

4. The stent according to claim 1, wherein some of said webs of said second cells are folded in different forms.

5. The stent according to claim 1, wherein

two of said webs of said first cells are non-folded webs with an arched shape.

6. The stent according to claim 4, wherein

two of said folded webs of said second cells that are located on opposite sides are configured to be zig-zag shaped and two other of said folded webs of said second cells are placed together in arc-shaped fashion.

7. The stent according to claim 6, wherein the arc-shaped portion is substantially s-shaped.

8. The stent according to claim 7, wherein

two of said webs of said first cells are non-folded webs with an arched shape.

9. The stent according to claim 8, wherein the non-folded webs of said first cells are each made identical and placed parallel to one another.

10. A flexible, tubular coronary stent that is adapted to be expanded from a non-expanded state, comprising:

a plurality of first cells arranged to form a plurality of circumferential rows that are axially spaced apart, each of said first cells being formed by a pair of circumferential webs, and a pair of non-folded axial webs connected to adjacent pairs of said circumferential webs such that circumferentially adjacent ones of said first cells share one of said non-folded axial webs; and

a plurality of second cells that expand differently from said first cells, said second cells being arranged to form a plurality of second circumferential rows that are axially spaced apart from each other and located between said first circumferential rows such that said first and second circumferential rows alternate in an axial direction of said tubular coronary stent, said second cells being formed by said circumferential webs and a pair of s-shaped axial webs connected to said circumferential webs such that circumferentially adjacent ones of said second cells share one of said s-shaped axial webs,

said circumferential webs being folded in said non-expanded state to expand in a circumferential direction of said tubular coronary stent when said tubular coronary stent is radially expanded, and

said s-shaped axial webs being folded to be placed together and overlap in a circumferential direction in said non-expanded state and to expand in an axial direction of said tubular coronary stent by expansion of said circumferential webs in the circumferential direction when said tubular coronary stent is radially expanded.

11. The flexible, tubular coronary stent according to claim 10, wherein

each of said circumferential webs have identical configurations.

12. The flexible tubular coronary stent according to claim 10, wherein

said circumferential webs are configured to be zig-zag shaped.

13. The flexible tubular coronary stent according to claim 10, wherein

said first webs have an arched shape.

14. The flexible tubular coronary stent according to claim 10, wherein

said first axial webs are identical and parallel to one another.