Stents for supporting lumens in living tissue
AssigneeMedtronic AVE, Inc.
InventorsRobert D. Lashinski, Matthew J. Birdsall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stent for helping to hold open a lumen in a tubular body structure has at least one axial portion (preferably an axial end portion) that stents the surrounding portion of the tubular body structure to a lesser degree than another axial portion of the stent. For example, the stent portion that stents to a lesser degree may be circumferentially weaker than the other stent portion, or it may recoil more than the other stent portion after the stent is applied by being circumferentially expanded and then released.
Claims11
A stent for helping to hold open a lumen in a tubular body structure comprising:
- a first axial stent portion which is radially adjacent to a first axial portion of the tubular body structure;
- a second axial stent portion which is radially adjacent to a second axial portion of the tubular body structure;
- and
- wherein said second axial stent portion is made circumferentially weaker by forming it using a material that is weaker than a material from which said first axial stent portion is formed such that said first axial stent portion stents said first axial portion of the tubular body structure to a greater degree than said second axial stent portion stents said second axial portion of the tubular body structure.
A stent for helping to hold open a lumen in a tubular body structure comprising:
- a first axial stent portion which is radially adjacent to a first axial portion of the tubular body structure, said first axial stent portion formed to have plurality of members;
- a second axial stent portion which is radially adjacent to a second axial portion of the tubular body structure, said second axial stent portion formed to have plurality of members;
- and
- wherein said second axial stent portion is made circumferentially weaker by forming at least one of said members of a smaller cross section than the members from which said first axial stent portion is formed such that said first axial stent portion stents said first axial portion of the tubular body structure to a greater degree than said second axial stent portion stents said second axial portion of the tubular body structure.
A stent for helping to hold open a lumen in a tubular body structure comprising:
- a first axial stent portion which is radially adjacent to a first axial portion of the tubular body structure;
- a second axial stent portion which is radially adjacent to a second axial portion of the tubular body structure;
- and
- wherein said first and second axial stent portions have differing yield strengths such that said first axial stent portion stents said first axial portion of the tubular body structure to a greater degree than said second axial stent portion stents said second axial portion of the tubular body structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.