STENT WITH SUPPORT BRACES

• US 20120078341A1
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: VENITI, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Kao, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 9,233,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9522 Means for mounting a stent or stent-graft onto or into a placement instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/966 with relative longitudinal movement between outer sleeve and prosthesis, e.g. using a push rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91575 connected peak to trough
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0036 differing in thickness

Abstract

A stent includes expandable rings formed from a plurality of interconnected struts. A plurality of bridges couple adjacent rings together. The bridges are connected to adjacent rings at first and second connection points, and a first brace element is disposed therebetween. The first connection point is circumferentially offset relative to the second connection point so that the bridge is transverse to the longitudinal axis of the stent. The first brace element of one bridge engages an adjacent bridge or a brace element of the adjacent bridge when the corresponding adjacent rings are in the contracted configuration thereby providing additional support and rigidity to the stent to lessen buckling of the stent during loading onto a delivery catheter or during deployment therefrom.

Claims

1. A stent comprising:

a plurality of radially expandable rings each having a contracted configuration suitable for delivery and a radially expanded configuration for engaging and supporting tissue,

wherein each ring is formed from a plurality of interconnected struts, adjacent struts in each ring being connected together with a connector, and each ring having a proximal end, and a distal end, wherein the plurality of rings are coaxially aligned with one another to form a longitudinal axis, wherein a distal end of one ring faces a proximal end of an adjacent ring; and

a plurality of bridges disposed between adjacent rings, the plurality of bridges coupling adjacent rings together, wherein one or more of the bridges comprise a first end, a second end, and a first brace element therebetween, wherein the first end of the bridge is coupled with the distal end of a first ring at a first connection point, and the second end of the bridge is coupled with the proximal end of an adjacent second ring at a second connection point, and

wherein the first brace element of one bridge engages an adjacent bridge or a brace element of the adjacent bridge when the corresponding adjacent rings are in the contracted configuration thereby providing additional support and rigidity to the stent to lessen buckling of the stent during loading onto a delivery catheter or during deployment therefrom.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein the plurality of interconnected struts form a series of peaks and valleys.

3. The stent of claim 2, wherein the peaks and valleys of a first ring are in phase with the peaks and valleys of an adjacent ring.

4. The stent of claim 2, wherein the connector interconnecting the plurality of struts is U-shaped or V-shaped.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein the rings are self-expanding.

6. The stent of claim 1, wherein the rings are balloon expandable.

7. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first connection point is circumferentially offset relative to the second connection point so that the bridge is transverse to the longitudinal axis.

8. The stent of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges comprise a first arm and a second arm, and the brace is disposed therebetween.

9. The stent of claim 8, wherein the first arm or the second arm comprises a linear strut.

10. The stent of claim 9, wherein the first arm or the second arm comprises a width, and the first brace element comprises width wider than the width of the first or second arm.

11. The stent of claim 2, wherein the first connection point is on a peak of one ring, and the second connection point is on a valley of an adjacent ring.

12. The stent of claim 11, wherein the first connection point is on the apex of the peak.

13. The stent of claim 11, wherein the second connection point is on the bottom of the valley.

14. The stent of claim 1, wherein a bridge element couples each pair of adjacent struts interconnected together in a first ring with a pair of adjacent struts interconnected together in an adjacent second ring or an adjacent third ring.

15. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first brace element comprises a parallelogram shaped region.

16. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first brace element comprises an upper engagement surface and a lower engagement surface, such that the upper engagement surface engages a lower engagement surface on an adjacent brace element when the corresponding rings are in the collapsed configuration.

17. The stent of claim 16, wherein the upper engagement surface and the lower engagement surface comprise planar surfaces.

18. The stent of claim 16, wherein the upper engagement surface has a first contour and the lower engagement surface on the adjacent brace has a second contour, the first contour nesting with the second contour.

19. The stent of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges comprise a plurality of bridges each having a brace element, the bridges joining the two adjacent rings together, and wherein the brace elements on each bridge are axially aligned with one another to form a circumferentially oriented column of braces.

20. The stent of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges comprise a plurality of bridges each having a brace element, the bridges joining the two adjacent rings together, and wherein the brace elements on each bridge are circumferentially aligned with one another to form an axially oriented row of braces.

21. The stent of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges comprise a plurality of bridges each having a brace element, the bridges joining the two adjacent rings together, and wherein the brace on a first bridge is axially offset relative to a brace on the adjacent ring.

22. The stent of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges comprise a plurality of bridges each having a brace element, the bridges joining the two adjacent rings together, and wherein the braces form a circumferentially staggered pattern.

23. The stent of claim 1, wherein a first bridge couples a first ring and a second adjacent ring, and a second bridge couples the second ring with a third ring adjacent the second ring, and wherein the first bridge has a first slope, and the second bridge has a second slope opposite the first bridge.

24. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first brace element does not contact a brace element of an adjacent bridge when the corresponding rings are in the radially expanded configuration.

25. The stent of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bridges disposed between adjacent rings comprise a plurality of bridges substantially parallel with one another.

26. The stent of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridges comprises a length, and the first brace element comprises a length shorter than the bridge length.

27. The stent of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridge comprises a second brace element separated from the first bridge by a strut.

28. The stent of claim 1, wherein the one or more bridge comprises a plurality of brace elements.

29. The stent of claim 27, wherein the one or more bridge comprises a plurality of bridges each having a first brace and a second brace separated by a strut, the plurality of bridges joining two adjacent rings together, and wherein the first brace elements on each bridge are circumferentially aligned with one another, and the second brace elements on each bridge are circumferentially aligned with one another, thereby forming a first column of circumferentially oriented brace elements and a second column of circumferentially oriented brace elements.

30. The stent of claim 1, wherein first brace element comprises a slotted region extending through the entire thickness of the brace element.

31. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first brace element comprises a solid tab without slots extending therethrough.

32. The stent of claim 1, wherein a pair of bridges each having a brace element and joining two adjacent rings are separated by a bridge without a brace element and joining the two adjacent rings.

33. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of interconnected struts remain unconnected with a bridge.

34. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least some of the bridges comprise a brace element having a tapered proximal or distal end.

35. A method for delivering a prosthesis, said method comprising:

providing a stent comprising a plurality of radially expandable rings interconnected with a plurality of bridges, wherein some of the bridges comprise a brace element;

loading the stent onto a delivery catheter;

supporting the stent during the loading, wherein supporting comprises engaging brace elements on adjacent bridges against one another; and

deploying the stent from the delivery catheter.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein loading the stent comprises crimping the stent onto the delivery catheter.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the stent comprises a diameter and crimping reduces the diameter.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein loading the stent comprises applying a radial force against the stent.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein each brace element comprises an upper surface and a lower surface, and engaging brace elements comprise nesting the upper surface of one brace element with a lower surface of an adjacent brace element.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein supporting the stent reduces or eliminates buckling of the stent during the loading.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein deploying comprises retracting a sheath away from the stent so that the stent is unconstrained from radial expansion.

42. The method of claim 35, wherein deploying comprises self-expanding the stent.

43. The method of claim 35, wherein deploying comprises balloon expanding the stent.

44. The method of claim 35, wherein deploying comprises deploying the stent in a vein to alleviate compression of portion of the vein.

45. The method of claim 35, further comprising rigidifying the stent during the deployment.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein rigidifying comprises engaging brace elements on adjacent bridges against one another.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein rigidifying comprises applying an axially oriented force to the stent, thereby resulting in the engagement.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein rigidifying the stent reduces or eliminates buckling of the stent during deployment.

49. The method of claim 35, wherein the engaged brace elements disengage from one another during or after the deployment.