Expandable medical device with beneficial agent delivery mechanism
First Claim
1. An expandable medical device comprising:
- a plurality of elongated struts joined together to form a substantially cylindrical tube which is expandable from a cylinder having a first diameter to a cylinder having a second diameter;
a plurality of reduced area ductile hinges interconnecting the plurality of elongated struts, wherein the ductile hinges have a cross sectional area smaller than a cross sectional area of the elongated struts, and the ductile hinges deform upon expansion or compression of the cylindrical device while the struts are substantially undeformed; and
a plurality of holes containing a beneficial agent formed in the elongated struts;
wherein the ductile hinges have a substantially constant width in a circumferential dimension along a portion of a hinge length which is at least ⅓
the total length of a hinge.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An expandable tissue supporting device of the present invention employs ductile hinges at selected points in the expandable device. When expansion forces are applied to the device as a whole, the ductile hinges concentrate expansion stresses and strains in small well defined areas. The expandable medical device including ductile hinges provides the advantages of low expansion force requirements, relatively thick walls which are radio-opaque, improved crimping properties, high crush strength, reduced elastic recoil after implantation, and control of strain to a desired level. The expandable tissue supporting device includes a plurality of elongated beams arranged in a cylindrical device and connected together by a plurality of ductile hinges. Although many ductile hinge configurations are possible, the ductile hinges preferably have a substantially constant hinge cross sectional area which is smaller than a beam cross sectional area such that as the device is expanded from a first diameter to a second diameter, the ductile hinges experience plastic deformation while the beams are not plastically deformed.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An expandable medical device comprising:
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a plurality of elongated struts joined together to form a substantially cylindrical tube which is expandable from a cylinder having a first diameter to a cylinder having a second diameter; a plurality of reduced area ductile hinges interconnecting the plurality of elongated struts, wherein the ductile hinges have a cross sectional area smaller than a cross sectional area of the elongated struts, and the ductile hinges deform upon expansion or compression of the cylindrical device while the struts are substantially undeformed; and a plurality of holes containing a beneficial agent formed in the elongated struts; wherein the ductile hinges have a substantially constant width in a circumferential dimension along a portion of a hinge length which is at least ⅓
the total length of a hinge. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An expandable medical device comprising:
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a plurality of elongated struts joined together to form a substantially cylindrical tube which is expandable from a cylinder having a first diameter to a cylinder having a second diameter; a plurality of reduced area ductile hinges interconnecting the plurality of elongated struts, wherein the ductile hinges deform upon expansion or compression of the cylindrical device while the struts are substantially undeformed; and a plurality of holes containing a beneficial agent formed in the elongated struts; wherein the ductile hinges are asymmetrically configured to reach a predetermined strain level upon a first percentage expansion and to reach a predetermined strain level upon a second percentage of compression, the first percentage being larger than the second percentage. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification