Biodegradable device
First Claim
1. An expandable medical device for insertion in a body passageway that is used in treating dissected blood vessels, vascular malformations, vulnerable plaque by encapsulation, vulnerable plaque by passivation, nerve dissection of the central nervous system, incompetent valves, pulmonary embolism, narrowing of a body passageway, and combinations thereof, said expandable medical device including a body having an unexpanded and expanded cross-section area and a biological agent coated or impregnated on an other surface of said body, majority of said body is formed of a biodegradable polymer system designed to degrade when exposed to fluids in the body passageway so that at least a portion of said body degrades over time and removes itself from a treatment site in said body passageway, a portion of an outer surface of said medical device including a plurality of microstructures that extend upwardly from and above said outer surface of said body, said plurality of microstructures at least partially formed of said biological agent, said plurality of microstructures having a shape and size that is designed to penetrate into said body passageway at the treatment site when said body is expanded to said expanded cross-sectional area and to deliver said biological agent in said penetrated region of said body passageway, said plurality of microstructures having a height of less than 1000 microns.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device that is at least partially formed of a biodegradable polymer. The device can be at least partially formed by MEMS technology. The device can include one or more micro-structures that are also formed by MEMS technology. The device can include one or more agents that can be controllably and/or uncontrollably released from the device.
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Citations
25 Claims
- 1. An expandable medical device for insertion in a body passageway that is used in treating dissected blood vessels, vascular malformations, vulnerable plaque by encapsulation, vulnerable plaque by passivation, nerve dissection of the central nervous system, incompetent valves, pulmonary embolism, narrowing of a body passageway, and combinations thereof, said expandable medical device including a body having an unexpanded and expanded cross-section area and a biological agent coated or impregnated on an other surface of said body, majority of said body is formed of a biodegradable polymer system designed to degrade when exposed to fluids in the body passageway so that at least a portion of said body degrades over time and removes itself from a treatment site in said body passageway, a portion of an outer surface of said medical device including a plurality of microstructures that extend upwardly from and above said outer surface of said body, said plurality of microstructures at least partially formed of said biological agent, said plurality of microstructures having a shape and size that is designed to penetrate into said body passageway at the treatment site when said body is expanded to said expanded cross-sectional area and to deliver said biological agent in said penetrated region of said body passageway, said plurality of microstructures having a height of less than 1000 microns.
Specification