Covered Stent Membrane Layout for Carotid Plaque Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing carotid artery stents, both bare and covered, suffer from safety issues: bare stents risk breaking plaque and causing stroke, while covered stents obstruct blood flow to facial organs.

Innovation Solution

A covered stent design featuring a stent body and a filter membrane that expands to cover plaque, preventing its breakage and ensuring normal blood flow to both internal and external carotid arteries.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a bare stent with large mesh aperture is used to expand the carotid artery, then the stent can restore normal blood supply in the carotid artery, but the stent rod tends to cut the plaque and cause the plaque to break and fall off, blocking cerebral blood vessels and causing stroke

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblood supply restorationVSAvoidplaque breakage and stroke risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies a filter membrane (thin film structure) covering the stent body to create a covered stent. This flexible membrane prevents direct contact between the stent rods and plaque, eliminating the cutting action that causes plaque breakage while maintaining stent expansion capability for blood supply restoration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The invention combines two different materials/structures: the metallic stent body framework and the filter membrane material. This composite structure integrates the structural support function of the stent with the protective filtering function of the membrane, simultaneously achieving vessel expansion and plaque protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a covered stent with filter membrane is mounted at the Y-shaped bifurcation structure of the carotid artery, then the filter membrane can prevent plaque breakage, but it easily covers the entrance of the external carotid artery, resulting in ischemia of the external carotid artery and affecting blood supply of facial organs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplaque breakage preventionVSAvoidexternal carotid artery blood flow

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The filter membrane is designed with spatially varying properties: it provides coverage and protection in the common carotid artery and internal carotid artery regions where plaque risk exists, while being configured to allow blood flow to the external carotid artery entrance. This localized differentiation of membrane coverage resolves the contradiction between protection and blood flow maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The stent and filter membrane structure is segmented to accommodate the Y-shaped bifurcation anatomy. The membrane is configured to cover specific segments (common carotid and internal carotid regions) while leaving the external carotid artery entrance uncovered or partially covered, allowing selective protection without compromising external carotid blood flow.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS12485001B2Covered stent

Publication Date: 2025.12.02 SUZHOU ZENITH VASCULAR SCITECH LTD

AI summary

A covered stent (20) is provided, including a stent body (21) and a filter membrane (22). The stent body (21) has a proximal end (211) and a distal end (212). The proximal end (211) is configured to be arranged upstream in the blood vessel with respect to the distal end (212). The filter membrane (22) has a mounting portion (222) and a free portion (221). The mounting portion (222) is connected with the stent body (21), and the free portion (221) is connected with the mounting portion (222) and free from the stent body (21).