Radially expandable stent

Claim 2

An expandable stent for implantation within a blood vessel in a body, comprising: a substantially cylindrical member formed from a continuous length of wire, wherein said substantially cylindrical member includes a plurality of interconnected, substantially circular, concentric loops disposed between a proximal and distal end thereof, wherein, when said substantially cylindrical member is implanted in the blood vessel, a plurality of said concentric loops, each having an angular-shaped bend with no more than one angular shaped bend being located in each quadrant of each of said loops, said bend in each of said plurality of concentric loops forming an angle, and, along a length of said substantially cylindrical member, a line bisects a plurality of said angles, and wherein, when said substantially cylindrical member is in place in the blood vessel, said line is maintained substantially parallel to a direction of blood flow through the blood vessel to reduce an impedance of said substantially cylindrical member to the blood flow.

Claim 3

The stent according to claim 1, wherein a same size of said substantially cylindrical member is used in blood vessels having diameters in a range of about 2.5-5.0 mm.

Claim 4

The stent according to claim 1, wherein an average distance between adjacent concentric loops along the length of said substantially cylindrical member ranges from about 0.3 to about 1.0 mm.

Claim 5

The stent according to claim 1, wherein a substantially cylindrical, circular, concentric loop has a plurality of bends with adjacent bends being separated by a leg member and wherein at least two of said leg members have different lengths.

Claim 6

The stent according to claim 1, wherein said substantially cylindrical member is free of welds between said proximal and distal ends for substantially any length of stent.

Claim 7

The stent according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said loops have a bend in each quadrant of a substantially circular cross-section of said substantially cylindrical member to permit said substantially cylindrical member to expand and conform to a size and shape of the vessel while maintaining the length of the substantially cylindrical member substantially constant.

Claim 8

The stent according to claim 1, wherein in a first state before implantation of the substantially cylindrical member in the blood vessel said angles range from about 10 to about 50 degrees.

Claim 9

The stent according to claim 1, wherein in a first state before implantation of the substantially cylindrical member in the blood vessel the second plurality of said concentric loops each have a bend and wherein in a second state when the substantially cylindrical member is implanted in the blood vessel an average magnitude of said angles in said second state is greater than an average magnitude of the angles in said first state.

Claim 10

The stent according to claim 8, wherein in said second state the average magnitude of said angles range from about 30 to about 120 degrees.

Claim 11

The stent according to claim 8, wherein said angles each have a magnitude and the magnitudes of said angles in said second state depend upon a shape and size of the vessel.

Claim 12

The stent according to claim 1, wherein said angles each have a magnitude and the magnitudes of said angles in said second state vary along the length of said substantially cylindrical member to conform to the shape of said blood vessel.

Claim 13

The stent according to claim 1, wherein each loop includes at least four leg members, with a leg member being located between each of said bends.

Claim 14

The stent according to claim 12, wherein each of said leg members has a length ranging from about 2 to about 15 mm.

Claim 15

The stent according to claim 1, wherein a distribution of said loops between said proximal and distal ends ranging from about 3 to about 50 loops/cm.

Claim 16

The stent according to claim 1, wherein said substantially cylindrical member has a length and the length of said substantially cylindrical member ranges from about 8 mm to about 40 cm.

Claim 17

The stent according to claim 1, wherein said substantially cylindrical member is substantially free of shape memory.

Claim 18

The stent according to claim 1, wherein when the substantially cylindrical member is implanted in the blood vessel an outer diameter of said substantially cylindrical member is at least about 0.25 to about 0.50 mm larger than a vessel interior diameter where said substantially cylindrical member is contacting the vessel.

Claim 19

An expandable stent for implantation within a blood vessel, comprising: a substantially cylindrical member formed from a continuous length of wire, wherein said substantially cylindrical member includes a plurality of interconnected, substantially circular, concentric loops disposed between a proximal and a distal end thereof, with the centers of a plurality of said concentric loops being located along a longitudinal axis of said substantially cylindrical member, wherein each of two adjacent first and second concentric loops have at least four bends with a bend being in each quadrant of each of said first and second concentric loops, wherein said first concentric loop is nearer said proximal end than said second concentric loop and at least two of said bends in said first concentric loop are in opposite quadrants of said first concentric loop and at least two of said bends in said second concentric loop are in opposite quadrants of said second concentric loop and wherein a first distance from said at least two of said bends in said second concentric loop to said proximal end of said substantially cylindrical member is greater than a second distance from said at least two of said bends in said first concentric loop to said proximal end of said substantially cylindrical member, whereby the lodging of an intimal flap on an interior wall of said blood vessel between said first and second concentric loops is inhibited.

Claim 20

An expandable stent for implantation within a blood vessel, comprising: a substantially cylindrical member formed from a continuous length of wire, wherein said substantially cylindrical member includes a plurality of interconnected, substantially circular, concentric loops disposed between a proximal and a distal end thereof, with the centers of a plurality of said concentric loops being located along a longitudinal axis of said substantially cylindrical member, wherein each of two adjacent first and second concentric loops have at least four bends with a bend being in each quadrant of each of said first and second concentric loops, wherein said first concentric loop is nearer said proximal end than said second concentric loop and at least two of said bends in said first concentric loop are in opposite quadrants of said first concentric loop and at least two of said bends in said second concentric loop are in opposite quadrants of said second concentric loop and wherein a first distance from said at least two of said bends in said second concentric loop to said proximal end of said substantially cylindrical member is greater than a second distance from said at least two of said bends in said first concentric loop to said proximal end of said substantially cylindrical member, whereby the lodging of an intimal flap on an interior wall of said blood vessel between said first and second concentric loops is inhibited.

Claim 21

The stent according to claim 18, wherein, when said substantially cylindrical member is implanted in the blood vessel, a plurality of said concentric loops each have a bend, said bend in each concentric loop forming an angle, such that, along a length of said substantially cylindrical member, a line bisecting said angles in a plurality of said bends is substantially parallel to a direction of blood flow through the blood vessel to reduce an impedance of said substantially cylindrical member to blood flow.

Claim 22

The stent according to claim 19, wherein the blood vessel has an interior and the interior of the blood vessel has an irregular shape and, when said substantially cylindrical member is implanted in the blood vessel, the magnitudes of a number of said angles vary along a length of said substantially cylindrical member to conform to the shape of said blood vessel.

Claim 23

The stent according to claim 18, wherein said substantially cylindrical member is substantially free of shape memory.

Claim 24

The stent according to claim 18, wherein a distribution of said loops ranges from about 3 to about 5.0 loops/cm.

Claim 25

The stent according to claim 18, wherein said substantially cylindrical member has a length and an average distance between adjacent loops along the length of said substantially cylindrical member ranges from about 0.2 to about 3.0 mm.

Claim 26

The stent according to claim 18, wherein said substantially cylindrical member has a length and an average distance between adjacent loops along the length of said substantially cylindrical member ranges from about 0.3 to about 1.0 mm.

Claim 27

The stent according to claim 18, wherein said at least two of said bends in said first concentric loop are each in a different quadrant of a substantially cylindrical cross-section of said substantially cylindrical member than said at least two of said bends in said second concentric loop.

Claim 28

An expandable stent for implantation within a blood vessel, comprising: a substantially cylindrical member formed from a continuous length of wire, wherein said substantially cylindrical member includes a plurality of interconnected, substantially circular, concentric loops disposed between a proximal and a distal end thereof, wherein the centers of a plurality of said concentric loops are located along a longitudinal axis of said substantially cylindrical member, a plurality of said concentric loops each having a bend with no more than one bend being located in each quadrant of each of said loops, each of said bends in each concentric loop forming an angle, and, along a length of said substantially cylindrical member, a line bisects said angles in a plurality of said bends, said line being substantially parallel to a direction of blood flow through the blood vessel to reduce an impedance of said stent to the blood flow, and wherein the substantially cylindrical member is substantially free of shape memory to permit the substantially cylindrical member to conform to a shape of an interior of the blood vessel.

Claim 29

An expandable stent for implantation within a blood vessel, comprising: a substantially cylindrical member formed from a continuous length of wire, wherein said substantially cylindrical member includes a plurality of interconnected, substantially circular, concentric loops disposed between a proximal and a distal end thereof, wherein the centers of a plurality of said concentric loops are located along a longitudinal axis of said substantially cylindrical member, a plurality of said concentric loops each having a bend with no more than one bend being located in each quadrant of each of said loops, each of said bends in each concentric loop forming an angle, and, along a length of said substantially cylindrical member, a line bisects said angles in a plurality of said bends, said line being substantially parallel to a direction of blood flow through the blood vessel to reduce an impedance of said stent to the blood flow, and wherein the substantially cylindrical member is substantially free of shape memory to permit the substantially cylindrical member to conform to a shape of an interior of the blood vessel.

Claim 30

The stent according to claim 26, wherein, when said substantially cylindrical member is implanted in the blood vessel, said line is substantially parallel to a direction of blood flow through the blood vessel.

Claim 31

The stent according to claim 26, wherein a number of said angles each has of magnitude and, when said substantially cylindrical member is implanted in the blood vessel, the magnitudes of the number of said angles vary along the length of said substantially cylindrical member to conform to a shape of the blood vessel.