Medical Device Having Regions With Various Agents Dispersed Therein and a Method for Making the Same

Abstract

A device is constructed with additives incorporated into its structure, such as a material that increases visibility of the device, while still maintaining desired mechanical characteristics such as high radial stiffness, minimized recoil values, and improved flexibility. The device can assume a wide range of geometries that are adaptable to various loading conditions. In order to include performance-enhancing additives to the medical device without affecting mechanical performance, the additives are localized in discrete regions of a polymer structure from which a medical device will be formed. For example, a medical device can be prepared from a polymer form such as a tube containing radiopaque agent localized at its ends or in a desired pattern along the device. Agent is evenly distributed throughout the device such that, for example, elution of a therapeutic agent will be more precisely controlled.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.