Stent with improved drug loading capacity
AssigneeMedtronic Vascular, Inc.
InventorRichard Thomas
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method of forming a drug eluting stent, the method comprising coupling a stent framework to a mandrel, inserting the mandrel with stent framework into an open die, the die including a forming surface including a plurality of raised indention forming portions; closing the die against the stent framework; pressing the raised indention portions into the stent framework to form indentions in the stent framework; and inserting at least one drug polymer into the indentions formed in the stent framework.
Claims5
1-11. (canceled)
An apparatus for forming a drug eluting stent, the apparatus comprising:
- a mandrel;
- a die set including at least two portions, the at least two portions defining a channel formed through the die set for receiving the mandrel;
- and
- a plurality of indentation forming portions coupled to a portion of the surface of the channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.