Bend-capable tubular prosthesis

• US 9,155,642 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Schlun, Martin, Zipse, Achim, Wack, Thilo, Block, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Victor
• Application Number:
  US13/849,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218260A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.15, 623/1.42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/89 the wire-like elements comprising two or more adjacent rings flexibly connected by separate members
• 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 2002/91508 the meander having a difference in amplitude along the band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91516 the meander having a change in frequency along the band
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91525 within the whole structure different bands showing different meander characteristics, e.g. frequency or amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0029 differing in bending or flexure capacity

Abstract

A tubular prosthesis having a succession of turns around a longitudinal axis includes connectors between adjacent turns distributed around the circumference of the prosthesis. Each turn includes struts interspersed by inflection zones located at the axial ends of each turn such that, when the prosthesis expands radially, gaps open up between adjacent struts of each of the turn. The inflection zones are distributed regularly around the circumference so that the gaps are substantially the same size as each other around the circumference of the turn. The prosthesis may include a turn that exhibits a stagger zone within which the gap between adjacent struts is of an individual size different from that common to the other gaps of that turn. The inflection zones in that turn that lie circumferentially next to the stagger zone are displaced out of facing relationship with corresponding zones of inflection in the adjacent turn.

Claims

1. A stent comprising:

first and second annular frames in alignment with each other to define a longitudinal axis, each annular frame having undulations circumscribing the longitudinal axis, the undulations including a plurality of struts traversing in generally opposed directions to define a plurality of end points disposed generally circumferentially about the longitudinal axis for the respective annular frame, the end points of the first annular frame in facing axial alignment with corresponding end points of adjacent annular frames when the stent is in an unexpanded configuration;

at least one connector member coupled to a first pair of struts defining one endpoint of the first annular frame and a second pair of struts defining a second endpoint of the second annular frame, the struts of the first annular frame outside of the first pair of struts having generally the same length and the struts of the second annular frame outside of the second pair of struts having generally the same length, the first pair of struts having surfaces exposed to each other to define a first included angle different from a second included angle defined by the exposed surfaces of the second pair of struts so that end points of the first annular frame are offset in a circumferential direction with respect to the corresponding facing end points of an adjacent annular frame in an expanded configuration of the stent;

and

a third annular frame in alignment with the first and second annular frames, the third annular frame having undulations circumscribing the longitudinal axis, the undulations including a plurality of struts traversing in generally opposed directions to define a plurality of end points, a second connector member coupled to a third pair of struts defining a third endpoint of the second annular frame and a fourth pair of struts defining a fourth endpoint of the third annular frame, the third pair of struts having surfaces exposed to each other to define a third included angle different from a fourth included angle defined by the exposed surfaces of the fourth pair of struts,

wherein

the second included angle is generally the same as the fourth included angle,

and

one of the annular frames is connected to a terminal annular frame having closed diamond cells to define a cylinder about the longitudinal axis.

2. The stent according to claim 1, wherein a connector member is disposed between every five struts including the strut connected to the connector member.

3. The stent according to claim 1, wherein the end points of the first annular frame outside of the first pair of struts are generally aligned on a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis in both the unexpanded and expanded configurations.

4. The stent according to claim 1, wherein the length of the first annular frame struts are generally the same as the length of the second annular frame struts.

5. The stent according to claim 1, wherein the first annular frame comprises at least two first pair of struts and the second annular frame comprises at least two second pair of struts, wherein a separate connector member connects each of the at least two first pair of struts to a corresponding one of the at least two of the second pair of struts.