Stents of enhanced biocompatibility and hemocompatibility

An expandable stent for supporting a blood, urinary, or gastrointestinal vessel from collapsing inward, the stent having enhanced hemocompatibility, comprising:

• (a) a radially outwardlly expandable stent body for insertion in a tubular conduit of a living body, said stent body having outer surfaces and a longitudinal bore therethrough for receiving a means for expanding said stent body radially outwardly;
• and
• (b) anchoring means on said outer surfaces for engaging said tubular conduit and anchoring said stent body in a radially outward expanded position thereby supporting said tubular conduit from collapsing inward;
• the stent at least partially fabricated from a biocompatible and hemocompatible low elastic modulus metal alloy comprising:
• (i) titanium;
• and
• (ii) niobium and tantalum, wherein the combined wt. % of niobium and tantalum is from about 10 wt. % to about 20 wt. % or from about 35 wt. % to about 50 wt. %;
• wherein the alloy is free of toxic elements, except such amounts of said toxic elements as may occur as impurities in the alloy and as contaminants as a result of an alloying process.