Stent having flexibly connected adjacent stent elements

• US 9,622,888 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates (W.L. Gore & Associates)
• Original Assignee: W. L. Gore & Associates (W.L. Gore & Associates)
• Inventors: Armstrong, Joseph R., Cully, Edward H., Hansen, Mark Y., Johnson, Brian L., Kilgrow, Bret J., Kovach, Larry J., Silverman, James D.
• Primary Examiner(s): DUKERT, BRIAN AINSLEY
• Application Number:
  US11/560,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20080119943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,806 Days
• Field of Search: 623 114, 623 113
• 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 2002/075 the stent being loosely attached to the graft material, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/825 having longitudinal struts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/828 Means for connecting a plurality of stents allowing flexibility of the whole structure

Abstract

An open stent (a stent having open space through its thickness at locations between the ends of the stent), incorporating flexible, preferably polymeric, connecting elements into the stent wherein these elements connect adjacent, spaced-apart stent elements. Preferably the spaced-apart adjacent stent elements are the result of forming the stent from a helically wound serpentine wire having space provided between adjacent windings. Other stent forms such as multiple, individual spaced-apart ring-shaped or interconnected stent elements may also be used. The connecting elements are preferably longitudinally oriented.

Claims

1. An implantable stent defining a length and having a deployed diameter suitable for implantation and a compacted diameter suitable for passage of the stent through a body conduit, the deployed diameter being larger than the compacted diameter of the stent, the implantable stent comprising adjacent metallic stent elements spaced apart longitudinally wherein the adjacent stent elements are connected longitudinally only by a perforated polymeric non-woven sheet cover, the cover having a multiplicity of individual apertures of substantially uniform size, each of the multiplicity of individual apertures having a long dimension that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent when the stent is at the compacted diameter, each of the multiplicity of individual apertures having a substantially uniform shape when the stent is at the deployed diameter, wherein the multiplicity of individual apertures have a minimum size of about 0.10 mm;

and wherein the stent is substantially open, having a porosity index of at least 50% along the length of the stent when the implantable stent is at the deployed diameter.

2. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiplicity of individual apertures are substantially rectangular when the stent has the compacted diameter.

3. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein the minimum aperture size of the multiplicity of individual apertures is about 0.4 mm.

4. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiplicity of individual apertures are of a substantially hexagonal shape.

5. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiplicity of individual apertures are of a substantially square shape.

6. An implantable stent according to claim 1 wherein the adjacent stent elements are adjacent helically wound metallic stent elements.

7. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiplicity of individual apertures are of a substantially triangular shape.

8. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein the cover is fully attached to the stent.

9. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein the multiplicity of individual apertures include a plurality of longitudinally offset adjacent apertures.

10. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein the multiplicity of individual apertures include a plurality of adjacent apertures that are longitudinally offset and overlapping.

11. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein each of the multiplicity of individual apertures defines a shape having rounded corners.

12. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein the cover has a web tensile strength greater than 0.6N.

13. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein the cover has a web tensile strength greater than 2N.

14. An implantable stent according to claim 1, wherein the stent exhibits a device tensile strength greater than 3N.

15. An implantable stent defining a length and having a deployed diameter suitable for implantation and a compacted diameter suitable for passage of the stent through a body conduit, the deployed diameter being larger than the compacted diameter of the stent, the implantable stent comprising adjacent metallic stent elements spaced apart longitudinally wherein the adjacent stent elements are connected longitudinally only by a perforated polymeric non-woven sheet cover that limits axial expansion between the adjacent metallic stent elements, the cover having a multiplicity of individual apertures of substantially uniform size, each of the multiplicity of individual apertures having a long dimension that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the stent when the stent is at the compacted diameter, each of the multiplicity of individual apertures having a substantially uniform shape when the stent is at the deployed diameter, wherein the multiplicity of individual apertures have a minimum size of about 0.10 mm;

and wherein the stent is substantially open, having a porosity index of at least 50% along the length of the stent when the implantable stent is at the deployed diameter.