Serpentine Stent with S-Shaped Struts for Crimpability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current stent designs for implantation in body lumens lack optimal crimpability and structural variability, which can affect their deployment and integration within vascular systems.
Innovation Solution
The stent design features a plurality of interconnected serpentine bands with alternating straight and s-shaped struts forming peaks and valleys, connected by linear connectors that vary in orientation and alignment, creating cells of different sizes and enhancing crimpability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional stent designs are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but crimpability and deployment performance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is divided into multiple serpentine bands with alternating straight and s-shaped struts, creating modular units that can independently deform during crimping and expansion. This segmentation allows each band to contribute to overall crimpability while maintaining structural integrity through their interconnected configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent incorporates s-shaped struts with curved geometries that provide inherent flexibility and elasticity. These curved elements can be compressed into tighter configurations during crimping and naturally spring back during deployment, significantly improving crimpability without requiring excessive structural complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If uniform stent structures are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but structural variability and integration performance are limited
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the stent feature varying cell sizes and strut configurations. The serpentine bands create alternating patterns of larger and smaller cells, allowing specific zones to provide enhanced flexibility while other zones maintain structural support. This local variation optimizes integration performance without requiring complete redesign of the entire stent structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The stent employs asymmetric connector orientations and non-uniform cell distributions, where connectors extend at different angles and cells vary in size across the stent body. This asymmetry enables the structure to adapt to irregular vascular geometries and provides multi-directional expansion capabilities, enhancing versatility while maintaining manufacturability through systematic patterning.
Data Source
AI summary
A stent may comprise a plurality of serpentine bands, wherein adjacent serpentine bands are connected by at least one connector strut. A serpentine band may comprise alternating straight struts and s-shaped struts. Connector struts may comprise first connector struts and second connector struts, wherein the first connector struts are nonparallel to the second connector struts.