Patent ID: 11925570
Assignee: BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 18:
19. A stent, comprising:
a radially expandable scaffold having a first end, a second end and an outer surface;
at least a first fixation member affixed directly to the radially expandable scaffold and a second fixation member affixed directly to the radially expandable scaffold, wherein a tip of the first fixation member faces a tip of the second fixation member, and the tip of the first fixation member is spaced apart by a gap from the tip of the second fixation member;
a biodegradable material disposed over the tip of the first fixation member and the tip of the second fixation member and extending across the gap;
wherein the biodegradable material is designed to degrade from a first configuration in which the biodegradable material shields the tips of the first and second fixation members from a target tissue site to a second configuration in which the biodegradable material is degraded while the radially expandable scaffold and the first and second fixation members remain intact, such that the tips of the first and second fixation members are engaged with the target tissue site; and
a third fixation member affixed directly to the radially expandable scaffold and a fourth fixation member affixed directly to the radially expandable scaffold, wherein a tip of the third fixation member faces a tip of the fourth fixation member, and the tip of the third fixation member is spaced apart by a gap from the tip of the fourth fixation member, wherein the biodegradable material includes a plurality of discrete regions of biodegradable material, wherein a first discrete region of biodegradable material covers only an end portion of the first fixation member and an end portion of the second fixation member, and a second discrete region of biodegradable material covers only an end portion of the third fixation member and an end portion of the fourth fixation member.