Stent

• US 7,922,756 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2010
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Lenz, Jason T., Gregorich, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Stewart; Alvin J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharma; Yashita
• Application Number:
  US12/783,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20100222868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.39, 623/1.42, 623 11- 122
• 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 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• 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 2250/0068 the pharmaceutical product being in a reservoir

Abstract

A stent with strut bands and connectors, wherein the strut bands have long and short struts with a junction positioned between the short struts. Each junction defines a reservoir, wherein the reservoirs of a strut band are substantially circumferentially aligned. The connectors each have arms, wherein each arm includes an opposing U-shaped link. The opposing links have a shared portion disposed between a peak on one strut band and a longitudinally adjacent trough of an adjacent strut band.

Claims

1. A stent comprising:

a plurality of strut bands, each strut band forming a closed path of alternating peaks and troughs, wherein strut bands adjacent one another are connected by a plurality of connectors,

each strut band comprising a plurality of long struts, a plurality of short struts, and a plurality of junctions, each junction being positioned between and connecting a first short strut and a second short strut, each long strut being connected to a first short strut at a peak and each long strut being connected to a second short strut at a trough, each junction defining only a single junction reservoir, all of the junction reservoirs of a strut band being circumferentially aligned,

each connector comprising a first arm which extends from a junction on one strut band, and a second arm which extends from a junction on an adjacent strut band, at least a portion of the first arm comprising a first U-shaped link and at least a portion of the second arm comprising a second U-shaped link,

each first U-shaped link opening in a first direction and each second U-shaped link opening in a second direction substantially opposite the first direction, at least a portion of the first U-shaped link and at least a portion of the second U-shaped link having a shared portion, the shared portion disposed between one of the peaks on one strut band and a longitudinally adjacent trough of an adjacent strut band,

wherein the first U-shaped link and the second U-shaped link each define a first plurality of connector reservoirs, and a region of the first arm adjacent the first U-shaped link and a region of the second arm adjacent the second U-shaped link each define a second plurality of connector reservoirs, wherein the first plurality is greater than the second plurality.

2. The stent of claim 1 wherein each connector reservoir has a connector reservoir area, each junction reservoir having a junction reservoir area, the connector reservoir area being no greater than the junction reservoir area.