Method of forming a nitinol stent
AssigneeMedtronic Vascular, Inc.
InventorDustin M. Thompson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of a forming a hollow, drug-eluting nitinol stent includes shaping a composite wire into a stent pattern, wherein the composite wire includes an inner member, a nitinol intermediate member, and an outer member. After the composite wire is shaped into the stent pattern, the composite wire is heat treated to set the nitinol intermediate member in the stent pattern. After heat treatment, the composite wire is processed to remove the outer member and the inner member without adversely affecting the intermediate member. Openings may be provided through the intermediate member and the lumen of the intermediate member may be filled with a substance to be eluted through the openings.
Claims20
A method of forming a stent comprising the steps of:
- receiving a composite wire, wherein the composite wire comprises an inner member disposed within a lumen of an outer member, wherein the inner member is a solid Nitinol material;
- after receiving the composite wire, shaping the composite wire into a stent pattern;
- heat treating the composite wire in the stent pattern;
- after the heat treating step, processing the composite wire such that the outer member is completely removed from around the inner member while preserving the solid inner member and the stent pattern.
A method of forming a stent comprising the steps of:
- shaping a composite wire into a stent pattern, wherein the composite wire comprises an inner member disposed within a lumen of an outer member, wherein the inner member is a solid Nitinol material, wherein shaping step begins with the outer member in a solid state surrounding the inner member;
- heat treating the composite wire in the stent pattern, wherein the outer member holds the inner member in the stent pattern during the heat treating step;
- after the heat treating step, processing the composite wire such that the outer member is completely removed from around the inner member while preserving the solid inner member and the stent pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.