Endoluminal Stent Mid-Strut Interconnections

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional endoluminal stents face challenges in balancing hoop strength, column strength, longitudinal flexibility, fatigue life, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility while minimizing foreshortening and fish-scaling, which often require compromising on one or more functional features.

Innovation Solution

A unibody endoluminal stent design featuring sinusoidal circumferential expansion members and interconnecting members with varying widths and C-shaped terminal regions, fabricated using vapor deposition techniques, which allows for a balance between radial expandability, hoop strength, and longitudinal flexibility without foreshortening, and includes a self-supporting graft for enhanced endothelialization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If conventional stent designs are used to optimize hoop strength, then circumferential strength is improved, but column strength and longitudinal flexibility are sacrificed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehoop strengthVSAvoidlongitudinal flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The stent is divided into multiple individual struts arranged in a circumferential pattern, allowing each strut to independently contribute to hoop strength while the overall segmented structure maintains longitudinal flexibility through controlled deformation between struts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The stent design incorporates a three-dimensional geometry where struts are positioned at specific angles and heights, creating a spatial configuration that provides circumferential support in the radial dimension while maintaining longitudinal compliance through the angled arrangement of struts across the length of the stent

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Strength

If conventional stent designs are used to optimize column strength, then longitudinal or column strength is improved, but longitudinal flexibility and hoop strength are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecolumn strengthVSAvoidlongitudinal flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The stent design allows for dynamic deformation of individual struts during expansion and compression, enabling the structure to adapt its stiffness characteristics - providing column strength when needed while maintaining longitudinal flexibility through controlled strut deformation and rotation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Strength

If stents are designed to maximize radial expandability, then radial expansion capability is improved, but longitudinal foreshortening increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveradial expandabilityVSAvoidlongitudinal length

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The stent incorporates curved and angled strut configurations rather than straight radial elements, allowing the structure to expand radially through rotational and bending movements of the curved struts, which minimizes longitudinal foreshortening compared to straight-element designs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

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

The stent achieves optimal radial expandability, maintains structural integrity, and reduces foreshortening, while enhancing biocompatibility and endothelialization, thereby improving delivery and implantation efficacy without the need for welds or compromising on key performance metrics.

Implementation Method 1

fabricated using vapor deposition techniques

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectVapor deposition: Physical Vapour Deposition

Data Source

PatentUS7980289B2Endoluminal stent having mid-strut interconnecting members

Publication Date: 2011.07.19 VACTRONIX SCIENTIFIC LLC

AI summary

An endoluminal stent composed of a plurality of circumferential expansion elements arrayed to form the circumference of the stent and extending along the longitudinal axis of the stent, and a plurality of interconnecting members that interconnect adjacent pairs of circumferential expansion elements, the interconnecting members joining struts of adjacent pairs of interconnecting members at approximate mid-points of the struts.