Intravascular stent having tapered struts
First Claim
1. A stent for insertion into a vessel of a patient, said stent comprising:
- a) a tubular member having a thickness and having front and back open ends and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, said member having a first smaller diameter for insertion into said vessel, and a second larger diameter for deployment into said vessel; and
b) said tubular member comprising a plurality of adjacent hoops extending between said front and back ends, said hoops comprising a plurality of longitudinal struts each having opposing ends and a center therebetween, said ends of said struts are shaped to form a plurality of loops connecting adjacent struts at said ends of said struts, said member further comprising a plurality of bridges connecting adjacent hoops to one another, said struts having a width measured in an axial direction, said width of said struts being greater at its ends than at its center and wherein said width of said struts at a given point along their center varies in proportion to the cube root of the distance from an end of said strut closest to said given point.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a stent, preferably a self-expanding Nitinol stent, for insertion into a vessel of a patient. The stent is made from a tubular member a thickness, front and back open ends, and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween. The member has a first smaller diameter for insertion into a vessel, and a second larger diameter for deployment into a vessel. The tubular member has a plurality of adjacent hoops extending between its front and back ends. The hoops are formed of a plurality of longitudinal struts, each having opposing ends and a center therebetween. The ends of the struts are shaped to form a plurality of loops which connect adjacent struts at the ends of the struts. The member further includes a plurality of bridges connecting adjacent hoops to one another. Each of the struts has a width which is greater at its ends than at its center. Preferably, the width continuously tapers from a greater width at the ends to a smaller width at the centers.
542 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A stent for insertion into a vessel of a patient, said stent comprising:
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a) a tubular member having a thickness and having front and back open ends and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, said member having a first smaller diameter for insertion into said vessel, and a second larger diameter for deployment into said vessel; and
b) said tubular member comprising a plurality of adjacent hoops extending between said front and back ends, said hoops comprising a plurality of longitudinal struts each having opposing ends and a center therebetween, said ends of said struts are shaped to form a plurality of loops connecting adjacent struts at said ends of said struts, said member further comprising a plurality of bridges connecting adjacent hoops to one another, said struts having a width measured in an axial direction, said width of said struts being greater at its ends than at its center and wherein said width of said struts at a given point along their center varies in proportion to the cube root of the distance from an end of said strut closest to said given point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A self-expanding stent for insertion into a vessel of a patient, said stent comprising:
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a) a tubular member made from an elastic material, said tubular material having a thickness and having front and back open ends and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, said member having a first smaller diameter for insertion into said vessel, and a second larger diameter for deployment into said vessel; and
b) said tubular member comprising a plurality of adjacent hoops extending between said front and back ends, said hoops comprising a plurality of longitudinal struts each having opposing ends and a center therebetween, said ends of said struts are shaped to form a plurality of loops connecting adjacent struts at said ends of said struts, said member further comprising a plurality of bridges connecting adjacent hoops to one another, said struts having a width measured in an axial direction, said width of said struts continuously taper from a greater width at said ends to a smaller width at said centers. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A stent for insertion into a vessel of a patient, said stent comprising:
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a) a tubular member having a thickness and having front and back open ends and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween, said member having a first smaller diameter for insertion into said vessel, and a second larger diameter for deployment into said vessel; and
b) said tubular member comprising a plurality of adjacent hoops extending between said front and back ends, said hoops comprising a plurality of longitudinal struts each having opposing ends and a center therebetween, said ends of said struts are shaped to form a plurality of loops connecting adjacent struts at said ends of said struts, said member further comprising a plurality of bridges connecting adjacent hoops to one another, said struts having a width measured in an axial direction, said width of said struts continuously taper from a greater width at said ends to a smaller width at said centers such that a width of any strut at a given point along its center varies in proportion to the cube root of its distance from an end of said strut that said point is closest to. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification