Longitudinally flexible stent

• US 9,968,471 B1
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medinol Limited (Medinol USA Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Medinol Limited (Medinol USA Incorporated)
• Inventors: Richter, Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Vy
• Application Number:
  US14/850,316
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 623 111, 623 114, 623 115, 623 116, 623 117, 623 118, 623 119, 623 12, 606108, 606191, 606193, 606194, 606195, 606198
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/82 Devices providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body, e.g. stents stent-grafts for tubular structures of the body other than blood vessels A61F2/04; stent-grafts for blood vessels A61F2/07; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95; for closing wounds, or holding wounds closed A61B17/04 - A61B17/115; dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/856 Single tubular stent with a side portal passage
• 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 2002/91525 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 2230/0069 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0068 the pharmaceutical product being in a reservoir

Abstract

An intravascular stent especially suited for implanting in curved arterial portion. The stent retains longitudinal flexibility after expansion. The stent is formed of intertwined meander patterns forming triangular cells. The cells are adapted to provide radial support, and also provide longitudinal flexibility after expansion. The cells also provide increase coverage of a vessel wall. Loops in the stent are disposed and adapted to cooperate, so that after expansion of said stent within a curved lumen, the stent is curved and cells on the outside of the curve open in length, but narrow in width, whereas cells on the inside of the curve shorten in length, but thicken in width to maintain a density of the stent element area which is much more constant than otherwise between the inside and outside of the curve. The stent also minimizes flaring out by eliminating free loops of the radially supporting circumferential bands of loops. The stent includes widened struts, wherein one or more of the widened struts have at least one reservoir for the delivery of an agent to a vessel site. The reservoir may be a fenestration or a recess that opens towards either the vessel wall or the lumen.

Claims

1. A uniformly flexible expandable stent consisting essentially of a plurality of triangular cells, each triangular cell including:

a) a first substantially linear member having a first end and a second end;

b) a second substantially linear member having a first end and a second end;

c) a third substantially linear member having a first end and a second end;

d) a fourth substantially linear member having a first end and a second end;

the first end of the first member communicating with the first end of the second member, the second end of the second member communicating with the second end of the third member, and the first end of the third member communicating with the first end of the fourth member;

e) the first member and the second member with a curved portion at their first ends forming a first loop opening toward the inside of the cell;

f) the third member and the fourth member with a curved portion at their first ends forming a second loop opening toward to the inside of the cell;

g) a fifth substantially linear member having a first end and a second end;

h) a sixth substantially linear member having a first end and a second end;

i) a seventh substantially linear member having a first end and a second end;

j) an eighth substantially linear member having a first end and a second end;

k) a ninth substantially linear member having a first end and a second end; and

l) a tenth substantially linear member having a first end and a second end, the first end of the fifth member coupled to the second end of the first member, the second end of the fifth member communicating with the second end of the sixth member, the first end of the sixth member communicating with the first end of the seventh member, the second end of the seventh member communicating with the second end of the eighth member, the first end of the eighth member communicating with the first end of the ninth member, the second end of the ninth member communicating with the second end of the tenth member, and the first end of the tenth member communicating through additional members to the second end of the fourth member;

m) the fifth member and the sixth member with a curved portion at their second ends forming a third loop opening toward the inside of the cell;

n) the seventh member and the eighth member with a curved portion at second their ends forming a fourth loop opening toward the inside of the cell; and

o) the ninth member and the tenth member with a curved portion at their second ends forming a fifth loop opening toward the inside of the cell, such that the first and the fourth members are joined together through at least the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth and the tenth members without connection directly between the first and fourth members.

2. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first member, the third member, the sixth member, the eighth member, and the tenth member have substantially a same angular orientation to a longitudinal axis of the stent and the second member, the fourth member, the fifth member, the seventh member, and the ninth member have substantially a same angular orientation to the longitudinal axis of the stent.

3. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least one of the members in at least one of the plurality of cells has a length that is greater than a length of the other members in that cell.

4. The stent of claim 3, wherein at least the member having the greatest length in the cell is joined to an adjacent member which extends in an adjacent cell.

5. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth members in at least one of the plurality of cells has a length that is longer than a length of at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members in that cell.

6. The stent of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth members in the at least one of the plurality of cells has a length that is about twice the length of the at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members in that cell.

7. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first, second, third and fourth members in at least one of the plurality of cells has a length that is substantially equal to a length of at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members in that cell.

8. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth members in at least one of the plurality of cells have a width that is different than a width of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members in that cell.

9. The stent of claim 8, wherein the first, second third, and fourth members in at least one of the plurality of cells have a width that is greater than the width of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members in that cell.

10. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least one member in at least one of the plurality of cells has a width that is greater than a width of the other members in that cell.

11. The stent of claim 1, wherein the members are comprised of metal.

12. The stent of claim 11, wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of stainless steel and Nitinol.

13. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth members and the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members are provided with different flexibilities with respect to each other.

14. The stent of claim 13, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth members are more flexible than the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members.

15. The stent of claim 13, wherein the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members are more flexible than the first, second, third, and fourth members.

16. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth members and at least one portion of at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members are provided with different flexibilities with respect to each other.

17. The stent of claim 16, wherein the at least one portion of the at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth members is provided with at least one portion that is more flexible than the at least one portion of the at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members.

18. The stent of claim 16, wherein the at least one portion of the at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members is provided with at least one portion that is more flexible than the at least one portion of the at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth members.

19. The stent of claim 1, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth members and the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members are provided with different resistances to radial compression with respect to each other.

20. The stent of claim 19, wherein the first, second third, and fourth members have a greater resistance to radial compression than the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members.

21. The stent of claim 19, wherein the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members have a greater resistance to radial compression than the first, second, third, and fourth members.

22. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth members and at least one portion of at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members are provided with different resistances to radial compression with respect to each other.

23. The stent of claim 1, wherein at least one portion of at least one of the plurality of the first, second, third, and fourth members is provided with at least one portion that has a greater resistance to radial compression than at least one portion of at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members.

24. The stent of claim 22, wherein the at least one portion of the at least one of the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth members is provided with at least one portion that has a greater resistance to radial compression than the at least one portion of the at least one of the first, second, third and fourth members.