Patent ID: 9271852
Filing Date: 2016-03-01
CPC Classification: A61F,F04C

Claim Text:
1. A tubular stent having first and second ends and a longitudinal axis therebetween, the tubular stent being formed from a network of struts which defines a cylindrical surface about the longitudinal axis, the struts delineating a plurality of cells within the network, there being rows of cells parallel to the longitudinal axis, at least one cell in each row being a nodal cell, there being an increase in the maximum length parallel to the longitudinal axis of cells from the at least one nodal cell to a first distal cell in the row that is closer to the first or second end of the tubular stent and there being a second distal cell in the row which has a different maximum length parallel to the longitudinal axis from the nodal cell and the first distal cell and wherein the network of struts comprises a plurality of circumferential rings, each ring extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis and the rings being located adjacent to each other parallel to the longitudinal axis to define the cylindrical surface, the circumferential rings being of a wave form, each circumferential ring having an amplitude parallel to the longitudinal axis, such that each wave form comprises a plurality of peaks which extend towards the axial centre of the tubular stent and a plurality of troughs which extend away from the axial centre of the tubular stent, characterized in that: the circumferential rings comprise nodal circumferential rings and distal circumferential rings, wherein the nodal circumferential rings define the at least one nodal cell of the tubular stent, adjacent nodal circumferential rings being aligned so that the respective peaks and/or troughs of the nodal circumferential rings are aligned with each other and linked to each other, the nodal circumferential rings thus defining the at least one nodal cell of each row of cells; the nodal circumferential rings and the distal circumferential rings are aligned such that where a first distal circumferential ring is adjacent to a second distal circumferential ring or a nodal circumferential ring, at least some of the peaks of the wave form of the first distal circumferential ring are aligned with at least some of the troughs of the wave form of the second distal circumferential ring or the nodal circumferential ring and are linked to each other such that adjacent circumferential rings define cells withtin the network; and each distal circumferential ring has a wave form that alternates between a maximum amplitude peak and trough and a minimum amplitude peak and trough, wherein the peak-peak amplitude of the maximum amplitude peaks and troughs of the distal circumferential rings increases progressively from a distal circumferential ring relatively closer to a nodal circumferential ring to a distal circumferential ring relatively further from the nodal circumferential ring, wherein the peak-peak amplitude of the maximum amplitude peaks and troughs increases geometrically, wherein there is an increase in the peak-peak amplitude of the minimum amplitude peaks and troughs of the distal circumferential rings from a distal circumferential ring relatively closer to a nodal circumferential ring to a distal circumferential ring relatively further from a nodal circumferential ring, wherein the peak-peak amplitude of the minimum amplitude peaks and troughs of the distal circumferential rings increases progressively from a distal circumferential ring relatively closer to a nodal circumferential ring to a distal circumferential ring relatively further from the nodal circumferential ring, wherein the peak-peak amplitude of the minimum amplitude peaks and troughs increases geometrically, wherein there is second nodal cell closer to one of the ends of the tubular stent than the first nodal cell, wherein there is a distal cell between the first and second nodal cells, and wherein the maximum length parallel to the longitudinal axis of cells increases from each nodal cell to the distal cell between the nodal cells.