Longitudinally flexible expandable stent

• US 7,204,848 B1
• Filed: 11/20/1998
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Skubitz, Sean P., Brown, Brian J., Davis, Michael, Ley, Timothy J., Friesen, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui; Vy Q.
• Application Number:
  US09/197,278
• Time in Patent Office: 3,070 Days
• Field of Search: 606/198,197,194,195,108,191,192 623/1.11-1.22,1.1
• US Class Current: 623/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/88 the wire-like elements formed as helical or spiral coils forming a net-like or mesh-like structure A61F2/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/89 the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members
• 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 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91583 by a bridge, whereby at least one of its ends is connected along the length of a strut between two consecutive apices within a band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0019 operated at only one temperature whilst inside or touching the human body, e.g. constrained in a non-operative shape during surgery, another temperature only occurring before the operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/005 using adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0058 soldered or brazed or welded
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0018 differing in elasticity, stiffness or compressibility

Abstract

Segmented articulatable stent of open structure comprised of end-connected struts of first and second lengths making up first and second segments with angular interconnects between adjacent first and second segments.

Claims

1. A stent with a proximal end, a distal end and a longitudinal axis, the stent comprising:

a plurality of undulating band-like elements having alternating peaks and troughs, each undulating band-like element extending about the longitudinal axis, the plurality of undulating band-like elements extending from the proximal end of the stent to the distal end of the stent, adjacent undulating band-like elements separated by gaps which are shorter in longitudinal length than the undulating band-like elements,

the plurality of undulating band-like elements including a first undulating band-like element, a second undulating band-like element and a third undulating band-like element, the second undulating band-like element disposed between the first and third undulating band-like elements, and

a plurality of substantially linear interconnecting elements extending between undulating band-like elements which are adjacent one another, each interconnecting element having a first end and a second end which is offset circumferentially and longitudinally along the stent from the first end,

the plurality of interconnecting elements including first interconnecting elements and second interconnecting elements,

the first interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the first undulating band-like element and troughs on the second undulating band-like element, the number of peaks on the first undulating band-like element exceeding the number of first interconnecting elements, the second interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the second undulating band-like element and troughs on the third undulating band-like element, the number of peaks on the second undulating band-like element exceeding the number of second interconnecting elements,

wherein the number of peaks of the first undulating band-like element separating circumferentially adjacent first interconnecting elements is less than the number of peaks of the second undulating band-like element separating circumferentially adjacent second interconnecting elements.

2. A stent with a proximal end, a distal end and a longitudinal axis, the stent comprising:

a plurality of undulating band-like elements having alternating peaks and troughs, each undulating band-like element extending about the longitudinal axis, the plurality of undulating band-like elements extending from the proximal end of the stent to the distal end of the stent, adjacent undulating band-like elements separated by gaps which are shorter in longitudinal length than the undulating band-like elements,

the plurality of undulating band-like elements including a first undulating band-like element, a second undulating band-like element and a third undulating band-like element, and a fourth band-like element, the second undulating band-like element disposed between the first and third undulating band-like elements, the third undulating band-like element disposed between the second and fourth undulating band-like elements, and

a plurality of interconnecting elements extending between undulating band-like elements which are adjacent one another, each interconnecting element having a first end and a second end which is offset circumferentially and longitudinally along the stent from the first end,

the plurality of interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the first interconnecting elements, second interconnecting elements, and third interconnecting elements,

the first interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the first undulating band-like element and troughs on the second undulating band-like element, the number of peaks on the first undulating band-like element exceeding the number of first interconnecting elements, the second interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the second undulating band-like element and troughs on the third undulating band-like element, the number of peaks on the second undulating band-like element exceeding the number of second interconnecting elements, the third interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the third undulating band-like element and troughs on the fourth undulating band-like element,

the number of peaks of the first undulating band-like element separating circumferentially adjacent first interconnecting elements being less than the number of peaks of the second undulating band-like element separating circumferentially adjacent second interconnecting elements,

wherein each second interconnecting element is separated from the third interconnecting element nearest to it by a single peak of the third undulating band-like element and a single trough of the third undulating band-like element.

3. The stent of claim 2 where one third interconnecting element extends from every third peak of the third undulating band-like element.

4. The stent of claim 3 where the interconnecting elements are substantially linear.

5. The stent of claim 2 where the interconnecting elements are substantially linear.

6. The stent of claim 2 wherein the first undulating band-like element is characterized by a first amplitude and the second undulating band-like element is characterized by a second amplitude, the first amplitude greater than the second amplitude.

7. A stent with a longitudinal axis, the stent comprising:

a plurality of undulating band-like elements having alternating peaks and troughs, each undulating band-like element extending about the longitudinal axis, the plurality of undulating band-like elements including a proximal undulating band-like element of a single first wavelength and single first amplitude having alternating peaks and troughs, an intermediate undulating band-like element of a single second wavelength and single second amplitude having alienating peaks and troughs, and a distal undulating band-like element of the first wavelength and first amplitude having alternating peaks and troughs, the intermediate undulating band-like element disposed between the proximal and distal undulating band-like elements, and

a plurality of interconnecting elements extending between undulating band-like elements which are adjacent one another, each interconnecting element having a first end and a second end which is offset circumferentially and longitudinally along the stent from the first end,

the plurality of interconnecting elements including first interconnecting elements and second interconnecting elements,

the first interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the proximal undulating band-like element and troughs on the intermediate undulating band-like element,

the second interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the intermediate undulating band-like element and troughs on the distal undulating band-like element,

wherein the first ends of the first interconnecting elements extend from every third peak of the proximal undulating band-like element and the second ends of the second interconnecting elements extend from every third trough of the distal undulating band-like element.

8. The stent of claim 7 wherein the plurality of undulating band-like elements further comprises a second distal undulating band-like element having alternating peaks and troughs, the second distal undulating band-like element distal to the distal undulating band-like element,

the plurality of interconnecting elements including third interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the distal undulating band-like element and troughs on the second distal undulating band-like element,

wherein each second interconnecting element is separated from the third interconnecting element nearest to it by a single peak and a single trough of the distal undulating band-like element.

9. The stent of claim 8 wherein the interconnecting elements are linear.

10. The stent of claim 9 wherein the first amplitude is greater than the second amplitude, and the first wavelength is greater than the second wavelength.

11. The stent of claim 7 wherein the first amplitude is equal to the second amplitude and the first wavelength is equal to the second wavelength.

12. A stent with a longitudinal axis, the stent comprising:

a plurality of undulating band-like elements having alternating peaks and troughs, each undulating band-like element extending about the longitudinal axis, undulating band-like elements which are adjacent one another separated by a gap which is shorter in longitudinal length that each of the adjacent undulating band-like elements, the plurality of undulating band-like elements including a first undulating band-like element and a second undulating band-like element, the first and second undulating band-like elements adjacent one another, and

a plurality of substantially linear interconnecting elements extending between undulating band-like elements which are adjacent one another, each interconnecting element having a first end and a second end which is offset circumferentially and longitudinally along the stent from the first end, the plurality of interconnecting elements including first interconnecting elements, which are adjacent one another connected to each other via a first path along the undulating first band-like element, the first path having a first length, and via a second paths which connect them defining one cell,

wherein the first path length is different from the second path length.

13. The stent of claim 12 wherein the first and second undulating band-like elements are characterized by different amplitudes.

14. The stent of claim 12 wherein the first path length is longer than the second path length.

15. A stent comprising:

a plurality of undulating band-like elements having alternating peaks and troughs, the plurality of undulating band-like elements including a first undulating band-like element, a second undulating band-like element and a third undulating band-like element, the first, second and third undulating band-like elements disposed sequentially along the length of the stent, and

a plurality of substantially linear interconnecting elements extending between undulating band-like elements which are adjacent one another, each interconnecting element having a first end and a second end which is offset circumferentially and longitudinally along the stent from the first end, the interconnecting elements shorter in length than the undulating band-like elements which they connect,

the plurality of interconnecting elements including first interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the first undulating band-like element and troughs on the second undulating band-like element and second interconnecting elements extending between peaks on the second undulating band-like element and troughs on the third undulating band-like element, first interconnecting elements which are adjacent one another connected to each other via a first path along the first undulating band-like element, second interconnecting elements which are adjacent one another connected to each other via a second path along the second undulating band-like element, the second path having a second length, wherein the first path length is different from the second path length,

wherein each of the cells between the first and third undulating band-like elements is bounded by two interconnecting elements, a portion of the second undulating band-like element and a portion of either the first or the third undulating band-like element.

16. The stent of claim 15 wherein the first and second undulating band-like elements are characterized by different amplitudes.

17. The stent of claim 15 wherein the first path length is longer than second path length.

18. The stent of claim 15 wherein the peaks and troughs are bulbous.

19. The stent of claim 15 wherein fewer than three interconnecting elements extend between adjacent undulating band-like elements.