Controlled length intraluminal implant

• US 6,416,539 B1
• Filed: 12/29/1999
• Issued: 07/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Smiths Medical ASD, Inc. (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Medex Incorporated (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hassdenteufel, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Willse, David H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Suzette
• Application Number:
  US09/462,032
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.15, 623/1.17, 623/1.31, 623/1.16, 623/23.7
• 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 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped

Abstract

The invention relates to an intraluminal implant (1) manufactured from a seamless thin walled metal tube. The inventive device consists of a large number of expandable rings 92). The adjacent rings (2) are connected to each other by one of two extendible rods (4). Each radially expandable ring (2) can consists of one or several bands (3) which can be enlarged. The adjacent bands (3) are connected each other by means of rods (5) extending in an axial direction. The stent is highly flexible; as a result, its longitudinal extension remains practically unchanged when it is enlarged.

Claims

1. An intraluminal implant for expanding a blood vessel comprising:

a thin, tubular member, the thin tubular member

being cut from a seamless, thin-walled metal tube in such a manner that two axially outer, and one or more axially inner, expandable rings of net-like or meander-like webs result, any two adjacent rings being interconnected with each other by only a pair of stretchable connecting webs curved in the axial direction of the tubular member with the stretchable connecting webs of the pair being angularly offset from each in a first radial direction at an angle of less than 180°

,

having a first diameter for the intraluminal conveyance of the tubular member, which may be expanded to a variable second diameter by exerting a radial, outwardly directed force from inside the tubular member, and

which is inserted into the blood vessel by means of a balloon-tipped catheter and expanded therein, and

wherein connecting web pairs succeeding each other in the axial direction being disposed angularly offset with respect to the preceding ones.

2. The intraluminal implant of claim 1 wherein the offset in the first radial direction is at an angle of 60°

to 120°

.

3. The intraluminal implant of claim 1, the connecting webs being arcuately curved.

4. The intraluminal implant of claim 1 wherein each expandable ring includes at least two hoops of meandering webs which hoops are connected to each other by a plurality of additional expandable connecting webs curved in the axial direction.

5. The intraluminal implant of claim 4, the connecting webs between adjacent rings being curved arcuately in a first direction and the additional connecting webs between adjacent hoops being curved arcuately in a second, opposite direction.

6. The intraluminal implant of claim 4 wherein each of the axially outermost rings has an axially outermost hoop, the axially outermost hoops having a greater axial length than any other of the hoops.

7. The intraluminal implant of claim 4 wherein the hoops forming the axially outermost rings are longer than the hoops forming the one or more axially inner rings.

8. The intraluminal implant of claim 1, each meandering web of the rings having a plurality of cusps.

9. The intraluminal implant of claim 8, wherein each of the axially outermost rings has a plurality of axially outermost cusps, at least the axially outermost cusps having wide flat portions.

10. An intraluminal implant for expanding a blood vessel comprising:

a thin, tubular member, the thin tubular member

being cut from a seamless, thin-walled metal tube in such a manner that two axially outer, and one or more axially inner, expandable rings of net-like or meander-like webs result, any two adjacent rings being interconnected with each other by only a pair of stretchable connecting webs curved in the axial direction of the tubular member with the stretchable connecting webs of the pair being disposed so that they are not diametrically opposed,

having a first diameter for the intraluminal conveyance of the tubular member, which may be expanded to a variable second diameter by exerting a radial, outwardly directed force from inside the tubular member, and

which is inserted into the blood vessel by means of a balloon-tipped catheter and expanded therein, and

wherein connecting web pairs succeeding each other in the axial direction being disposed angularly offset with respect to the preceding ones.

11. The intraluminal implant of claim 10, the connecting webs being arcuately curved.

12. The intraluminal implant of claim 10 wherein each expandable ring includes at least two hoops of meandering webs which hoops are connected to each other by a plurality of additional expandable connecting webs curved in the axial direction.

13. The intraluminal implant of claim 12, the connecting webs between adjacent rings being curved arcuately in a first direction and the additional connecting webs between adjacent hoops being curved arcuately in a second, opposite direction.

14. The intraluminal implant of claim 12 wherein each of the axially outermost rings has an axially outermost hoop, the axially outermost hoops having a greater axial length than any other of the hoops.

15. The intraluminal implant of claim 12 wherein the hoops forming the axially outermost rings are longer than the hoops forming the one or more axially inner rings.

16. The intraluminal implant of claim 10, each meandering web of the rings having a plurality of cusps.

17. The intraluminal implant of claim 16, wherein each of the axially outermost rings has a plurality of axially outermost cusps, at least the axially outermost cusps having wide flat portions.

18. The intraluminal implant claim 10, the axially outermost rings having a greater axial length than the one or more axially inner rings.