Abstract:
A barb for anchoring an implantable medical device to a body vessel comprises a thin-walled body portion for engagement with a structural element of an implantable medical device and a penetrating element extending from the body portion. The body portion has a longitudinal axis. The penetrating element includes a tip portion for anchoring into tissue and a base portion between the tip portion and the body portion. In a deployed configuration of the barb, the base portion curves away from the longitudinal axis at a first curvature and the tip portion curves toward the longitudinal axis at a second curvature which is opposite in sign from the first.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a stent having less invasive ends and improved radial force. In one embodiment, the stent comprises a series of proximal apices disposed at a proximal end of the stent, a series of distal apices disposed at a distal end of the stent, and at least one angled strut segment disposed between the proximal and distal apices of the stent. At least one apex of the stent may comprise multiple curved portions. In one example, the radius of curvature of one of the curved portions is significantly greater, for example, at least 10 times greater, than each of the other radii of curvature of the apex. The curved portion having the significantly greater radius of curvature may be configured to engage a vessel wall in a less invasive manner.
Abstract:
Various stent structures are provided with improved axial and torsional flexibility. One type of stent structure includes multiple segmented stent structures connected to each other by biodegradable interconnectors. A delivery system adapted to delivery the multiple segmented stents is also described. Another type of stent structure includes biodegradable connectors that are incorporated into a framework of non-biodegradable interconnecting members that form the support structure of the stent. The biodegradable connectors in both stent structures degrade or are absorbed after the stent is deployed. Stabilizing elements may be provided to the stent structures to supplement the stiffness of the stent with stability during loading and deployment.
Abstract:
A strut, or beam, is provided for intraluminal devices. Strain which is introduced into a stent or other intraluminal device is distributed more evenly along the length of the improved strut by maintaining a substantially constant strain level along the length of an end portion. This may increase fatigue life or improve the performance of devices using the improved strut. The strain along the length of the end portion may be maintained substantially constant by varying a section property of the strut, including the width, thickness, cross-sectional area, material property or other characteristic of the end portion.
Abstract:
An attachment system for attaching an intravascular device to a vessel wall of a body vessel is disclosed. The attachment system has an intravascular device having a first end and a second end. The intravascular device defines a longitudinal axis along a length thereof. Several struts are connected to one or more ends of the intravascular device. Each strut is configured to move along a strut path relative to the longitudinal axis between an expanded state for engaging the vessel wall and a collapsed state for delivery or retrieval. Each strut has a free end configured to engage the vessel wall in the expanded state.
Abstract:
An intraluminal medical device (10) comprises a main graft (11), a first extension graft (12), and a second extension graft (13). The main graft (11) comprises a proximal end (21), a distal end (22), and a body (24) extending between the proximal end and distal end. The distal end (22) of the main graft includes comprises a first branch (26) and a second branch (27), the branches extending distally from the body. The first and second extension grafts (12, 13) comprise at least one stent (58,68) and have a body reinforcing portion (51,61) and a branch reinforcing portion (52,62). The body reinforcing portions (51,61) have a larger expanded dimension than the expanded dimension of the respective branch reinforcing portion (52,62). The body reinforcing portions, together, have an expanded dimension that is generally equal to the expanded dimension of the outer graft body.
Abstract:
A stent member for use in a medical procedure having opposing sets of curved apices, where the curved section of one set of apices has a radius of curvature that is greater than the curved section of the other set of apices.
Abstract:
A beam (16) is provided for intraluminal devices. The beam is defined by a first side surface and a second side surface. The first side surface (30) is tapered at a different rate than the second side surface (32). One advantage of the beam is that strain which is normally concentrated in adjacent, interconnected bends is redirected onto the length of the beam. This may increase the fatigue life of intraluminal devices or may be used to fashion new srtuctures with improved performance.
Abstract:
A stent (42) for use in a stent graft comprising a strut region comprising at least two struts (46,48), the struts having at least one radius of curvature; a bend connecting the at least two struts and forming an eyelet region (54), where the strut region and the eyelet region are electropolished and the eyelet region is locally polished; and an eyelet (54) positioned in the eyelet region, having at least one radius of curvature greater than zero is provided. A method of manufacturing the same also is disclosed.
Abstract:
A main stent member, e.g. a stent graft (20), has an opening (25) which is sealingly connected to a secondary stent member (27) by means of an elastic tubular bridging element (30). The bridging element may taper, have walls of varying thickness and/or incorporate reinforcing fibers. The opening (25) may be a fenestration along the length of the graft (20) or at a bifurcation (62, Fig. 9) at one end of the graft.