Endoprosthesis for controlled contraction and expansion

• US 7,637,935 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2003
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Clifford, Anton G., Pappas, Jeff, Cryer, Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): McDermott; Corrine M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prone; Christopher D
• Application Number:
  US10/430,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20040093072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,429 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.12, 623/1.15
• US Class Current: 623/1.12
• 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 2002/91533 characterised by the phase between adjacent bands
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9155 Adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91558 connected peak to peak
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91566 connected trough to trough
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0076 multilayered, e.g. laminated structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable

Abstract

An endoprosthesis that has an interconnected series of struts, selected strut members connected to adjacent strut members at a longitudinal apex. Strut members include a first end portion, an intermediate portion hingedly connected to the first end portion, and a second end portion hingedly connected to the intermediate portion and extending to the apex. Some of the strut members can have a nesting feature configured for nestingly receiving another strut member when the endoprosthesis is in the delivery condition. A scaffolding body of the endoprosthesis can have an inner and outer component, each having a set of interconnected strut members which overlap those of the other to define a cooperating cell pattern. Also, the endoprosthesis can be configured to naturally tend to contract when the body is smaller than a predetermined diameter and expand when the body is larger than a predetermined diameter.

Claims

1. An endoprosthesis, comprising

a generally tubular scaffolding body configured to have a compressed diameter and an expanded diameter,

the body having a first subcomponent having a first geometry and defining a first bias when in a first range of diameter between the compressed and expanded diameters,

the body having a second subcomponent having a second geometry different from the first geometry, the second subcomponent defining a second bias when in a second range of diameter between the first range and the expanded diameter, wherein the second bias is expansive and has a greater expansive magnitude than the first bias.

2. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the first bias is contractive.

3. The endoprosthesis of claim 2, wherein one of the first and second subcomponents of the body define a contractile portion that is biased to contract the body and the other of the first and second subcomponents define an expansive portion that is biased to expand the body.

4. The endoprosthesis of claim 3, wherein the contractile portion is disposed within the expansive portion.

5. The endoprosthesis of claim 3, wherein the contractile portion and expansive portion are disposed in longitudinally adjacent annular elements of the body.

6. The endoprosthesis of claim 5, wherein body comprises a plurality of longitudinal connectors coupling a plurality of the adjacent annular elements.

7. The endoprosthesis of claim 6, wherein at least one of the longitudinal connectors extends across at least three adjacent annular elements.

8. The endoprosthesis of claim 3, wherein the one of the contractile and extensive portions comprises an outer tubular structure, and the other comprises an inner tubular structure received coaxially within the outer tubular structure.

9. The endoprosthesis of claim 8, wherein the contractile portion comprises the outer tubular structure, and the expansive portion comprises the inner tubular structure.

10. The endoprosthesis of claim 3, wherein the contractile portion has a geometry for decreasing the leverage of the bias thereof when the body is expanded.

11. The endoprosthesis of claim 3, wherein the expansive portion has a geometry for increasing the leverage of the bias thereof when the body is expanded.

12. The endoprosthesis of claim 11, wherein the contractile portion has a geometry for decreasing the leverage of the bias thereof when the body is expanded.

13. The endoprosthesis of claim 1, wherein the endoprosthesis is a stent.