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  Flexible expandable stentUSPTO Application #: 20070299507Title: Flexible expandable stent Abstract: A stent for implanting in the body to hold open a blood vessel includes cells with facing loops and the curved flexible links disposed and adapted to cooperate so that, when unexpanded, the stent can flex as it is moved through curved blood vessels to a site where it is to be expanded and so that, when the stent is expanded in a curved vessel, at that site, as compared to each other, cells on the outside of the curve are open in length, but narrow in width as compared to cells on the inside of the curve which are short in length but increased in width to result in a more constant stent cell area between the inside and the outside of the curve than would otherwise occur causing the stent, when coated with a medicine, to apply a more even dose to the inside wall of the lumen, avoiding the possibility that a toxic dose is supplied at one area while a less than effective dose is applied to another area. (end of abstract) Agent: Morgan & Finnegan, L.L.P. - New York, NY, US Inventors: Henry Marshall Israel, Gregory Pinchasik USPTO Applicaton #: 20070299507 - Class: 623001150 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Prosthesis (i.e., Artificial Body Members), Parts Thereof, Or Aids And Accessories Therefor, Arterial Prosthesis (i.e., Blood Vessel), Stent Structure The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070299507. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/644,465 filed Aug. 20, 2003, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/337,629 filed Jun. 21, 1999, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/026,099 filed Feb. 19, 1998 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,018), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/881,594 filed Jun. 24, 1997 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,120), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/782,467 filed Jan. 10, 1997, now abandoned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/457,354, filed May 31, 1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,303), which is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/282,181 filed Jul. 28, 1994 (now abandoned) and a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/213,272, filed Mar. 17, 1994 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,373). FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to stents for implanting into a living body. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Various stents are known in the art wherein, for the present application, the term "stent" indicates a device, made of body-compatible material, which is utilized to widen a blood vessel, or other orifice in the body, and to maintain the resultant size of the lumen. Typically, the stent is delivered to the desired location in the body with an inflatable balloon and, when the balloon is inflated, the stem expands, thereby widening the orifice. Other mechanical devices which cause expansion of the stent are also utilized. [0004] Exemplary patents in the field of stents formed of wire are: U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,090 to Pinchuk, U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,547 to Tower, U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,227 to Savin, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,472 to Fontaine, U.S. Pat No. 4,886,062 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,458 to Wiktor and U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,516 to Hillstead. Stems formed of cut stock metal are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,665 to Palmaz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,128 to Rosenbluth, U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,417 to Palmaz and Schatz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,984 to Schatz and WO 91 FRO13820 to Meadox. [0005] The stents described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,417 to Palmaz and Schatz have expandable tubular grafts connected together with a flexible connector. The grafts are formed of a plurality of slots disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube. The flexible connectors are helical connectors. Since the tubular grafts are relatively rigid, the flexible connectors are needed so that the stents can bend when being fed through a curved blood vessel. When the stents of U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,417 expand, the grafts expand radially and, consequently, shrink longitudinally. However, at the same time, the helical connectors twist. The twisting motion is most probably harmful to the blood vessel. [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,984 to Schatz describes a similar stent but with one straight connector, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular grafts, between tubular grafts. The straight member removes the twisting motion; however, it is not a very strong connector. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION [0007] In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a stent for implanting in the body to hold open a blood vessel, includes a body-compatible metal mesh defining a tube having adjacent contiguous cells, the cells having walls which are also the walls of adjacent cells. Each of the plurality of cells includes a pair of facing loops, each facing loop having a curved apex generally aligned along the longitudinal axis. Each facing loop has a first end and a second end that are generally aligned along the circumferential axis, each of the facing loops adapted to open further upon radial expansion of the stent which tends to foreshorten the stent longitudinally. Each of the plurality of cells further includes a pair of curved flexible links which connect the adjacent ends of the pair of facing loops to complete each of the plurality of cells, the pair of curved flexible links made of a metal which, upon expansion of the stent, bend to substantially offset foreshortening along the longitudinal axis. [0008] The pair of facing loops and the curved flexible links are disposed and adapted to cooperate so that the tube, when unexpended, can flex as it is moved through curved blood vessels to a site where it is to be expanded and so that, when the stent is expanded in a curved vessel, at that site, as compared to each other, cells on the outside of the curve are open in length, but narrow in width as compared to cells on the inside of the curve which are short in length but increased in width. This results in a more constant stent cell area between the inside and the outside of the curve than would otherwise occur. Consequently, when the stent is coated with a medicine the compensation results in a more even dose being applied to the inside wall of the lumen, avoiding the possibility that a toxic dose is supplied at one area while a less than effective dose is applied to another area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0009] The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which: [0010] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a patterned stent, constructed and operative in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; [0011] FIG. 2 is an illustration of the pattern of the stent of FIG. 1; [0012] FIG. 3 is an illustration of the stent of FIG. 1 in a bent position; [0013] FIG. 4 is an illustration of the stent of FIG. 1 in an expanded format; [0014] FIGS. 5A and 5B are illustrations of the changes in the patterns of the stent of FIG. 1 due to expansion; [0015] FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of a second embodiment of the pattern for a stent; [0016] FIG. 7 is an illustration of a third embodiment of the pattern for the stent; and [0017] FIG. 8 is an illustration of the pattern of FIG. 7 in an expanded format. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0018] Reference is now made to FIGS. 1-4 which illustrate a first embodiment of a stent, constructed and operative in accordance with the principles of the present invention FIG. 1 illustrates the stent in its non-expanded form, FIG. 2 illustrates the pattern of the stent, FIG. 3 illustrates it in a partially bent position and FIG. 4 illustrates it in an expanded form. As shown in FIG. 3, the stent 30 defines a longitudinal aperture 80 having a longitudinal axis or longitudinal extension 79. Continue reading... Full patent description for Flexible expandable stent Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Flexible expandable stent patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Flexible expandable stent or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Stent graft tapered spring Next Patent Application: Self-cleaning stent Industry Class: Prosthesis (i.e., artificial body members), parts thereof, or aids and accessories therefor ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Flexible expandable stent patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 3.95195 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry |
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