Endoluminal stent

• US 8,192,482 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2001
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lifeport Sciences LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Dake, Michael D., Goicoechea, George, Hudson, John, Cragg, Andrew H., Mialhe, Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Matthews, William H.
• Application Number:
  US09/977,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20020019659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,886 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.1, 623/1.11, 623/1.13, 623/1.15, 623/1.16, 623/1.22, 623/1.34, 623/1.35
• US Class Current: 623/1.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/07 Stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/852 Two or more distinct overlapping stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/90 characterised by a net-like or mesh-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/954 for placing stents or stent-grafts in a bifurcation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/061 provided with means for allowing access to secondary lumens
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/065 Y-shaped blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/828 Means for connecting a plurality of stents allowing flexibility of the whole structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/8486 provided on at least one of the ends
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0019 operated at only one temperature whilst inside or touching the human body, e.g. constrained in a non-operative shape during surgery, another temperature only occurring before the operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0008 Fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0016 with sharp anchoring protrusions, e.g. barbs, pins, spikes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0033 made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementary-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0066 stapled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0067 conical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2240/001 Designing or manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0662 : Guide tubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/903 : Blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

Abstract

A stent is provided comprising a plurality of hoops aligned along a common axis, wherein each of the hoops is oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stent. Each of the hoops includes a plurality of elongate elements joined to one another and forming apices that point in a direction along the axis of the stent. The stent also comprises means for securing an apex of one hoop to a juxtaposed apex of a neighboring hoop.

Claims

1. A stent comprising:

a plurality of hoops aligned along a common axis, each of said hoops being non-helical and oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the stent, and each of said hoops including a plurality of elongate elements joined to one another and forming apices that point in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the stent, and wherein at least one elongate element in each hoop is a continuation of an elongate element of an adjacent hoop; and

means for securing an apex of one hoop to an abutting a juxtaposed apex of a neighboring hoop.

2. A stent as recited in claim 1 comprising at least one stent segment in combination with one or more additional stent segments.

3. A stent as recited in claim 2 wherein said one or more additional segments are axially aligned with one another.

4. A stent as recited in claim 3 wherein said axially aligned segments are connected to one another by a tubular fabric element.

5. A stent as recited in claim 2 wherein said one or more additional segments are secured to one another by connecting means connecting at least some of the apices of hoops at mating ends of said stent and said additional segments.

6. A stent as recited in claim 2 wherein adjacent hoops are of the same diameter.

7. A stent as recited in claim 2 wherein adjacent hoops are of a different diameter.

8. A stent as recited in claim 2 wherein a first additional segment is axially parallel to, but non-common co-axial with, said stent segment.

9. A stent as recited in claim 8 further comprising a second additional segment axially parallel to said stent segment, but non-co-axial with either said stent segment or said first additional stent segment.

10. A stent as recited in claim 9 wherein at least one of said first and second additional stent segments is of frustoconical shape and is further combined with a third an additional stent segment, one end of which includes a mating frustoconical shape.

11. A stent as recited in claim 10, wherein said mating frustoconical stent segments are adapted to be separately placed in a bifurcated artery and then, by expansion of one of said frustoconical stent segments, secured to one another.

12. A stent as recited in claim 2 wherein at least one of said additional stent segments comprises:

a plurality of hoops aligned along a common axis, each of said hoops oriented in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the additional stent segment, and each of said hoops including a plurality of elongate elements joined to one another and forming apices that point in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the additional stent segment; and

means for securing an apex of one hoop to a juxtaposed apex of a neighboring hoop.

13. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hoops are formed of a single continuous wire.

14. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 13 wherein said wire is nitinol.

15. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein said securing means is a suture.

16. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 15 wherein said suture is a tied loop of thermoplastic material.

17. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein said securing means is a staple.

18. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein said securing means is wire twisted into loop.

19. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 18 wherein said wire is nitinol.

20. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein said securing means is bead of thermoplastic material.

21. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein each longitudinal end of the stent is substantially perpendicular square to the longitudinal axis of the stent.

22. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 1 wherein said stent is at least partially covered in fabric.

23. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a radiopaque marker disposed on at least one end of the stent.

24. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 23 wherein said radiopaque marker comprises a radiopaque element attached to one end of said stent.

25. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 24 wherein said element is a platinum wire.

26. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 24 wherein said element is a gold wire.

27. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 23 wherein said radiopaque marker comprises a radiopaque tube disposed around a part of said stent.

28. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 27 wherein said tube is platinum.

29. An endoluminal stent as claimed in claim 27 wherein said tube is gold.

30. A stent comprising a tubular member having a plurality of hoops aligned adjacent one another along the longitudinal axis of said tubular member, each of said hoops comprising a plurality of elongate elements, with pairs of said elongate elements meeting one another and forming vertices axially pointing in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the stent, wherein at least some of said vertices axially abut and are individually connected to oppositely pointed vertices of elongate elements of an adjacent hoop, wherein the vertices of each hoop pointed in the axial direction lie in a common plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member, and wherein at least one elongate element in each hoop is a continuation of an elongate element of an adjacent hoop.

31. A prosthesis for placement in a body lumen comprising a tubular graft supported and adapted to be retained in said lumen by a stent as recited in claim 30.

32. A method of reinforcing a body vessel using a tubular sheath disposed between an entry location in a body and an implantation location, said method comprising the steps of:

a. providing a stent as recited in claim 30;

b. compressing the stent into its compressed configuration;

c. inserting the compressed stent into the tubular sheath;

d. delivering the compressed stent through the tubular sheath to the implantation location; and

e. withdrawing the sheath while holding the stent at the implantation location within the vessel and expanding the stent within the implantation location as the sheath is withdrawn by permitting the self-expandable stent, as the constraint of the sheath is removed to return to said expanded configuration;

whereby the stent is securely disposed in the implanted state against said body vessel.

33. A method according to claim 32, wherein said stent is comprised of a shape memory material.

34. A method according to claim 33, wherein said shape memory material is nitinol and step (b) is performed at low temperature.

35. A method according to claim 32, wherein at least one elongate element in each hoop is a continuation of an elongate element of an adjacent hoop.