Segmented Stent End Design for Deployment Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stents face challenges in achieving balanced mechanical characteristics such as lateral and radial strength, flexibility, and ease of deployment, particularly at the ends where different performance requirements exist compared to the middle segments, leading to potential deployment inaccuracies and abrupt diameter transitions.
Innovation Solution
The stent design incorporates end segments with a different configuration than intermediate segments, featuring a greater number of cells and struts, which allows for smoother deployment and increased flexibility without substantial reduction in radial or lateral force, enhancing deployment accuracy and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a stent has uniform structure throughout, then manufacturing is simple, but deployment accuracy and flexibility are compromised due to abrupt diameter transitions at ends
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is divided into three distinct segments: a first end segment, an intermediate segment, and a second end segment. Each segment has different structural characteristics with varying numbers of peaks and valleys. This segmentation allows the stent to have optimized properties at different locations - greater flexibility at ends for accurate deployment while maintaining structural integrity in the intermediate section.
Solution Approach 2:
Different segments of the stent are designed with locally optimized qualities. The end segments have more peaks and valleys to provide increased flexibility and reduce abrupt diameter transitions, while the intermediate segment has fewer peaks and valleys to maintain radial strength. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between deployment accuracy and structural simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If end segments have more cells and struts, then flexibility and deployment smoothness improve, but radial and lateral force may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The stent structure is segmented into regions with different mechanical properties. End segments contain more cells and struts for flexibility and ease of deployment, while the intermediate segment has fewer cells and struts to maintain radial and lateral strength. This segmentation allows each region to optimize its function without compromising overall performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the stent are designed with locally appropriate qualities. The end segments are designed with higher cell and strut density to improve flexibility and deployment characteristics, while the intermediate segment maintains lower density to preserve radial and lateral support forces. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between ease of deployment and structural strength.
3Stability of the object's composition
If stent has uniform diameter throughout, then structural integrity is maintained, but deployment shows abrupt transitions and potential jumping
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is segmented into regions with progressively varying diameter characteristics. The end segments have more peaks and valleys creating a more gradual diameter profile, while the intermediate segment has fewer peaks and valleys. This segmentation allows smooth deployment at ends while maintaining overall structural integrity through the intermediate section.
Solution Approach 2:
Different segments are designed with locally optimized diameter profiles. End segments feature more frequent peaks and valleys to reduce abrupt diameter transitions and prevent jumping during deployment, while the intermediate segment maintains a more uniform diameter for structural stability. This local quality approach resolves the contradiction between structural integrity and deployment smoothness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design improves the ease and predictability of stent deployment, reduces the likelihood of 'jumping' from the delivery device, and ensures more accurate placement with smoother flexibility transitions and improved durability in overlapped configurations.
Implementation Method 1
incrementally expanding and heat setting the tubular member, and heat setting the tube at its final diameter
Implementation Method 2
The tubular member comprises shape-memory material
Data Source
AI summary
A stent may include a stent body defining a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal ends. The stent body may be expandable from a compressed configuration to an expanded configuration. In some examples, the stent body may include a plurality of stent segments. The stent segments may include a first end segment and a second end segment on opposite ends of the stent body and at least one intermediate segment disposed between the first end segment and the second end segment. Each stent segment may define a plurality of cells. Each stent segment may define a plurality of peaks and valleys. The plurality of cells defined by the first end segment may alternate about the circumference of the stent between larger cells and smaller cells.