Medical devices having MEMs functionality and methods of making same
First Claim
1. An endoluminal stent having a plurality of structural elements defining luminal and abluminal wall surfaces thereof, a central lumen, and a plurality of openings passing through the luminal and abluminal wall surfaces, comprising at least one microelectromechanical system operably associated with at least one of the plurality of structural elements, wherein the plurality of structural elements further comprise a plurality of arcuate members having a plurality of first projections, wherein the stent further comprises a plurality of micromotors operably associated with each of the plurality of arcuate members, each of the plurality of micromotors having at least one drive element having a plurality of second projections, the plurality of second projections interfacing with at least some of the plurality of first projections, whereby actuation of the plurality of micromotors causes the at least one drive element to engage at least some of the plurality of second projections with at least some of the plurality of first projections on at least one of the plurality of arcuate members and axially displace the at least one of a plurality of arcuate members.
10 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Implantable medical devices, including stents, grafts, covered stents, catheters, patches or the like having regions of the device which are functionalized employing microelectromechanical systems that are capable of acting as electromechanical sensors or biosensors in response to either an endogenous event, such as tissue growth, biochemical binding events, pressure changes, or respond to an externally applied stimulus, such as RF energy, to cause a change in the state of the device, such as to induce an oscillation signal which may be interrogated and interpreted external the body or may generate an induced electrical or electromagnetic potential in the device to activate micromotors to effect a geometric change in the device.
114 Citations
13 Claims
- 1. An endoluminal stent having a plurality of structural elements defining luminal and abluminal wall surfaces thereof, a central lumen, and a plurality of openings passing through the luminal and abluminal wall surfaces, comprising at least one microelectromechanical system operably associated with at least one of the plurality of structural elements, wherein the plurality of structural elements further comprise a plurality of arcuate members having a plurality of first projections, wherein the stent further comprises a plurality of micromotors operably associated with each of the plurality of arcuate members, each of the plurality of micromotors having at least one drive element having a plurality of second projections, the plurality of second projections interfacing with at least some of the plurality of first projections, whereby actuation of the plurality of micromotors causes the at least one drive element to engage at least some of the plurality of second projections with at least some of the plurality of first projections on at least one of the plurality of arcuate members and axially displace the at least one of a plurality of arcuate members.
Specification