Variable strength stent

• US 6,511,505 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2002
• Issued: 01/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Advanced Cardiovascular Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Cox, Daniel L., Limon, Timothy A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Willse, David H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, HIEU
• Application Number:
  US10/079,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20020116052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.1, 623/1.15, 623/1.16, 623/1.17, 623/1.18, 623/1.19, 623/1.2, 623/1.21, 623/1.22
• US Class Current: 623/1.16
• 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 2002/91508 the meander having a difference in amplitude along the band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91516 the meander having a change in frequency along the band
• 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 2002/91575 connected peak to trough
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0036 differing in thickness

Abstract

An expandable stent for implantation in a body lumen, such as an artery, is disclosed. The stent consists of a plurality of radially expandable cylindrical elements generally aligned on a common longitudinal stent axis and interconnected by one or more interconnecting members placed so that the stent is flexible in the longitudinal direction. The strength of the stent at a center section or at either end can be varied by increasing the mass of the struts forming each cylindrical element in that center section or end section relative to the lower mass struts in the remaining sections of the stent. Increasing the mass of the struts can be accomplished by, for a given strut thickness, increasing the width of the strut, or increasing the length of a cylindrical element.

Claims

1. A longitudinally flexible stents, comprising:

a plurality of rings aligned along a longitudinal axis;

a first end section, a second end section, and a third section disposed therebetween;

at least one ring in each of the first end section, the second end section, and the third section;

the at least one ring in the first end section and the second end section having a first length;

the at least one ring of the third section having a second length;

the first length being greater than the second length;

the at least one ring of the first end section and the second end section having a strut width relatively wider than a strut width of the at least one ring of the third section;

the rings being interconnected by linear links that are parallel to the longitudinal axis; and

the at least one ring of the third section having U-shaped members and W-shaped members and at least one ring of the first end section and the second end section having U-shaped members and Y-shaped members.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein three links connect adjacent rings.

3. The stent of claim 1, wherein the rings have struts, the mass of all of the struts in any one ring of the first end section and the second end section is less than the mass of all of the struts in the at least one ring of the third section.

4. The stent of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped members having a first curved portion and the W-shaped members having a second curved portion, the first curved portion being smaller than the second curved portion.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein the linear links connect a curved portion of the W-shaped member to a valley portion of the Y-shaped member.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein a portion of any of the U-shaped members, the Y-shaped members, or the W-shaped members form projecting edges when the stent is expanded.