Flexible expandable stent

Abstract

A stent for implanting in the body to hold open a blood vessel includes cells with facing loops and the curved flexible links disposed and adapted to cooperate so that, when unexpanded, the stent can flex as it is moved through curved blood vessels to a site where it is to be expanded and so that, when the stent is expanded in a curved vessel, at that site, as compared to each other, cells on the outside of the curve are open in length, but narrow in width as compared to cells on the inside of the curve which are short in length but increased in width to result in a more constant stent cell area between the inside and the outside of the curve than would otherwise occur causing the stent, when coated with a medicine, to apply a more even dose to the inside wall of the lumen, avoiding the possibility that a toxic dose is supplied at one area while a less than effective dose is applied to another area.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 09 / 337,629 filed Jun. 21, 1999, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09 / 026,099 filed Feb. 19, 1998 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,018), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08 / 881,594 filed Jun. 24, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,120), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08 / 782,467 filed Jan. 10, 1997, now abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08 / 457,354, filed May 31, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,303), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08 / 282,181 filed Jul. 28, 1994 (now abandoned) and a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08 / 213,272, filed Mar. 17, 1994 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,373).FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to stents for implanting into a living body.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Various stems are known in the art wherein, for the present application, the term “stent” indicates a device, made of body-compatible material, which is utilized to widen a blood vessel,...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The pair of facing loops and the curved flexible links are disposed and adapted to cooperate so that the tube, when unexpended, can flex as it is moved through curved blood vessels to a site where it is to be expanded and so that, when the stent is expanded in a curved vessel, at that site, as compared to each other, cells on the outside of the curve are open in length, but narrow in width as compared to cells on the inside of the curve which are short in length but increased in width. This results in a more constant stent cell area between the inside and the outside of the curve than would otherwise occur. Consequently, when the stent is coated with a medicine the compensation results in a more even dose being applied to the inside wall of the lumen, avoiding the possibility that a toxic dose is supplied at one area while a less than effective dose is applied to another area.

Problems solved by technology

The twisting motion is most probably harmful to the blood vessel.

The straight member removes the twisting motion; however, it is not a very strong connector.

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