Variable flexibility stent
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorsOren Globerman, Mordechay Beyar, Rafael Beyar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stent is provided for having variable flexibility and stiffness along its length. The stent comprises portions of the stent having different bending and durability characteristics, and may be fabricated, using any of a variety of methods, out of any of a variety of materials.
Claims21
A stent having variable bending flexibility across its length.
A stent having variable flexibility across its length, which comprises a tubular member consisting essentially of annular members intended to expand and cross member having ends, the end of each cross member being attached to an annular member,
- wherein the cross members have differing rigidity for bending such that the stent has variable flexibility along its length.
A stent comprising a plurality of expandable annular members;
- and a plurality of cross members having ends, the ends of each cross member being attached to an expandable annular member at a point in common with a longitudinally adjacent cross member;
- the expandable annular members differing in their relative rigidity and positioned so as to vary the bending flexibility of the stent along its length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.