Stent with embedded material

• US 8,029,554 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Atanasoska, Liliana, Holman, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; John J
• Application Number:
  US11/934,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20090118822A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 623 139- 14, 623 142- 146, 623/1.49
• US Class Current: 623/1.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/022 Metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/088 Other specific inorganic materials not covered by A61L31/084 or A61L31/086
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/12 Composite materials, i.e. containing one material dispersed in a matrix of the same or different material
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12104 Particles discontinuous
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12486 Laterally noncoextensive components [e.g., embedded, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12993 Surface feature [e.g., rough, mirror]

Abstract

An endoprosthesis such as a stent is composed of a metal or ceramic, such as Irox, embedded in the stent material.

Claims

1. An endoprosthesis comprising a metal wall having embedded therein metal or ceramic particles, the particles comprising a first material alloyed with the metal wall and a second, different material substantially unalloyed with the metal wall.

2. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein at least some of the metal or ceramic particles are exposed at a surface of the endoprosthesis metal wall.

3. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the metal or ceramic particles are embedded to a depth of about one micron or less.

4. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the metal or ceramic particles are embedded to a depth of about 1% or less of the thickness of the metal wall.

5. The endoprosthesis of claim 4 wherein the metal wall is formed substantially of a single metal layer.

6. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the metal or ceramic particles have a particle size of about one micron or less.

7. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the metal or ceramic particles are embedded in discontinuous regions of about one micron or less.

8. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the metal or ceramic particles form a discontinuous coating on a surface of the endoprosthesis.

9. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the metal particles comprises a metal selected from titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, ruthenium, iridium, and platinum.

10. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the ceramic particles comprise an oxide.

11. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein in the ceramic particles comprise Irox.

12. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the endoprosthesis metal is selected from stainless steel, chrome, nitinol, cobalt chromium, nickel, titanium, tungsten, tantalum, rhenium, iridium, silver, gold, bismuth, platinum, supereleastic alloys, and other alloys thereof.

13. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the first material has a melting temperature lower than a melting temperature of the second material.

14. The endoprosthesis of claim 13 wherein the melting temperature of the first material is lower than a melting temperature of the metal wall and the melting temperature of the second material is higher than the melting temperature of the metal wall.

15. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the first material is coated on the second material.

16. The endoprosthesis of claim 1 wherein the first material and the metal wall are alloyed by co-melting the first material and the metal wall.