Device comprising biodegradable bistable or multistable cells and methods of use
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An expandable support device comprising:
- an expandable tube formed of a plurality of unit cells, each unit cell having a length, at least one unit cell of said plurality of unit cells having a stable contracted configuration and a stable expanded configuration, said at least one unit cell comprisinga rigid segment extending the length of said unit cell, anda flexible segment extending the length of said unit cell, the flexible segment being more flexible than the rigid segment such that when said unit cell is forcibly expanded in a radially outward direction from the stable contracted configuration toward the stable expanded configuration, said unit cell passes a transition point between the stable contracted configuration and the stable expanded configuration, and once said unit cell passes the transition point, the difference in flexibility between the flexible segment and the rigid segment causes the unit cell to automatically move further toward the expanded configuration.
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Abstract
Expandable biodegradable devices formed of bistable and multistable unit cells for use in devices, such as stents and graft systems, are provided, in which the device has two or more stable configurations, including a contracted configuration and an expanded configuration, the contracted stable configuration having a smaller diameter than the expanded configuration.
89 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An expandable support device comprising:
an expandable tube formed of a plurality of unit cells, each unit cell having a length, at least one unit cell of said plurality of unit cells having a stable contracted configuration and a stable expanded configuration, said at least one unit cell comprising a rigid segment extending the length of said unit cell, and a flexible segment extending the length of said unit cell, the flexible segment being more flexible than the rigid segment such that when said unit cell is forcibly expanded in a radially outward direction from the stable contracted configuration toward the stable expanded configuration, said unit cell passes a transition point between the stable contracted configuration and the stable expanded configuration, and once said unit cell passes the transition point, the difference in flexibility between the flexible segment and the rigid segment causes the unit cell to automatically move further toward the expanded configuration. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. An expandable support device comprising:
an expandable tube formed of a plurality of unit cells, at least one unit cell of said plurality of unit cells having a stable contracted configuration and stable expanded configuration, wherein; during a first phase of expansion, said at least one unit cell is expanded beyond a transition point by application of a radially outward force to the expandable tube; during a second phase of expansion that occurs after said unit cell is expanded beyond the transition point, said unit cell automatically expands further toward the stable expanded configuration; and after the expandable tube is forcibly compressed such that said unit cell is contracted past the transition point, the at least one unit cell is configured to automatically contract further toward the stable contracted configuration. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
Specification