Patent ID: 9522503
Filing Date: 2016-12-20
CPC Classification: A61F,A61L,B29C,B29K,B29L,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method of treating a blood vessel with a biodegradable stent comprising: deploying a biodegradable stent in a blood vessel from a crimped diameter to an intended deployment diameter, the biodegradable stent including a cylindrically-shaped scaffold comprising a poly(L-lactide)-based biodegradable polymer, wherein the scaffold includes a pattern comprising a plurality of cylindrical rings of struts and longitudinal linking struts connecting the rings, the scaffold formed by cutting the pattern in a tube, wherein the tube has been processed to increase crystallinity prior to cutting the pattern, the biodegradable polymer after the processing has a crystallinity of less than 50%, wherein the rings include bending elements, each bending element including struts that bend outward when the scaffold is deployed to allow for radial expansion of the scaffold, wherein curved portions of the bending elements have no cracks at the crimped diameter, wherein cracks form in the curved portions of the bending elements when the stent is deployed to the intended deployment diameter, wherein the bending elements have an angle greater than 90° at a diameter the pattern is cut, and wherein the scaffold has adequate radial strength to hold open the blood vessel.