Patent ID: 8099849
Filing Date: 2012-01-24
Classification: A61F,A61L,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of fabricating a stent to have a reduced number of cracks when expanded from a crimped configuration to an expanded configuration, comprising: (a) selecting a degree of radial expansion from a plurality of radial expansion amounts ranging between 100% and 800% and selecting a crimping temperature from a plurality of crimping temperatures ranging between 10 degrees and 80 degrees Celsius; (b) radially expanding a polymer tube by the selected degree of radial expansion; (c) forming the stent from the radially expanded tube; (d) crimping the stent at the selected crimping temperature; (e) balloon expanding the stent from its crimped configuration to an expanded configuration; and (f) repeating steps (b) through (e) for at least four different combinations of at least two different degrees of radial expansion and at least two different crimping temperatures; and fabricating the stent using a combination of radial expansion and crimping temperature, selected from among the at least four different combinations, that produced the fewest number of cracks in the expanded stent.