Stent with induction responsive muscles that facilitate implantation adjustments
AssigneeCook Medical Technologies LLC
InventorWoong Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stent has a tubular shaped framework that includes a plurality of vertices that are each defined by a pair of struts. A plurality of induction responsive muscles are associated, respectively, with one of the plurality of vertices by being attached to each strut of a pair of struts. The induction responsive muscles have a relaxed state at body temperatures, and have a contracted state at an elevated temperature greater than body temperature. If the stent has an initial unsatisfactory implant orientation or position or other expansion irregularity, the application of an electromagnetic induction field may be applied to temporary 11 reduce the diameter of the stent to adjust its positioning and/or orientation.
Claims14
A stent comprising:
- a tubular shaped framework that includes a plurality of vertices that are each defined by a pair of struts;
- a plurality of induction responsive artificial muscles, with each of the induction responsive artificial muscles being associated with one of the plurality of vertices by being attached to each strut of the pair of struts;
- each of the induction responsive artificial muscles assuming a relaxed state at temperatures less than 37° C., and contracting toward a contracted state responsive to increasing the temperature to greater than 37° C.;
- each of the induction responsive artificial muscles reducing an angle of a respective one of the vertices responsive to changing from the relaxed state to the contracted state;
- and
- wherein a diameter of the tubular shaped framework is reduced responsive to a collective effect of the plurality of induction responsive artificial muscles changing from the relaxed state to the contracted state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.