Stent with improved flexibility
AssigneeBoston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
InventorPaul F. Chouinard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stent comprises a plurality of connected serpentine circumferential bands. Adjacent serpentine circumferential bands are connected via a plurality of longitudinal connectors extending between peaks on one serpentine circumferential band and troughs on the serpentine circumferential band adjacent thereto. The struts of the serpentine bands are arranged such that on expansion of the stent, peaks and troughs which are substantially circumferentially aligned with one another, but not connected with one another, on adjacent serpentine circumferential bands are circumferentially displaced from one another.
Claims13
A stent having an expanded state and an unexpanded state, the stent comprising:
- in the unexpanded state, plurality of circumferential serpentine bands including a first serpentine band, a second serpentine band, and a third serpentine band disposed about a longitudinal axis, the serpentine bands comprising a plurality of struts, adjacent struts connected one to the other, each serpentine circumferential band extending around an entire circumference of the stent and being constructed of a repeating pattern of struts of at least three different lengths, wherein at least one of the struts in the repeating pattern of struts has a width that is different than the widths of the remaining struts in the repeating pattern of struts, the serpentine bands having alternating peaks and troughs, the first and second serpentine bands including at least three peaks which are circumferentially and longitudinally offset from one another, wherein the first serpentine band is interlaced with the second serpentine band and the second serpentine band is interlaced with the third serpentine band.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.