Patent ID: 7854757
Filing Date: 2010-12-21
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. An intralumenal device comprising: a first substantially circular hoop having a closed configuration and an expanded configuration; a second substantially circular hoop having a closed configuration and an expanded configuration adjacent to said first hoop; and at least one flexible link connecting said first and second hoops wherein said first and second hoops are separated from each other in the closed configuration and rotate to mateably interlock with each other in the expanded configuration, the first and second hoops each comprise a plurality of loops and a plurality of struts connected to said loops to define a plurality of pre-configured cells, at least one loop of a first pre-configured cell in the first hoop comprises a male end and at least one loop of an adjacent second pre-configured cell in the second hoop comprises a female end, wherein the male end is separated from the female end when said hoops are in the closed configuration and wherein the male end is mateably connected to the female end when said first and second pre-configured cells rotate in the same direction such that said hoops are in the expanded configuration; and wherein the first substantially circular hoop, the second substantially circular hoop and the at least one flexible link are made of a material that is normally prone to crushing, deformation or recoil in the expanded configuration.