A luminal stent assembly , comprising: a) a luminal stent including, i) a plurality of radially-expandable stent components , each radially-expandable stent component having a proximal end and a distal end, at least one of the stent components including struts, wherein the struts include opposite ends and are joined to each other at the respective opposite ends, thereby forming proximal apices and distal apices, the radially-expandable stent components being in relative proximal and distal relationship to each other, and ii) a plurality of bridges linking immediately proximal and distal radially-expandable stent components to each other, thereby forming the luminal stent and defining a continuous lumen, a proximal end, and a distal end of the luminal stent ; b) at least one of a luminal graft component and a polymeric coating at the luminal stent ; and c) at least one stent distal to the luminal stent and linked to the luminal stent by at least one of the luminal graft component and the polymeric coating to thereby form the luminal stent assembly , the luminal stent assembly having a proximal end at the luminal stent and a distal end at the stent distal to the luminal stent , wherein axial stiffness of the luminal stent assembly decreases from the proximal end to the distal end of the luminal stent assembly as a consequence of a space between the luminal stent and the at least one stent distal to the luminal stent, and the radial stiffness of the luminal stent is greater than the radial stiffness of the at least one distal stent ; and wherein at least a portion of the radially-expandable stent components are nested. a) a luminal stent including, i) a plurality of radially-expandable stent components , each radially-expandable stent component having a proximal end and a distal end, at least one of the stent components including struts, wherein the struts include opposite ends and are joined to each other at the respective opposite ends, thereby forming proximal apices and distal apices, the radially-expandable stent components being in relative proximal and distal relationship to each other, and ii) a plurality of bridges linking immediately proximal and distal radially-expandable stent components to each other, thereby forming the luminal stent and defining a continuous lumen, a proximal end, and a distal end of the luminal stent ; i) a plurality of radially-expandable stent components , each radially-expandable stent component having a proximal end and a distal end, at least one of the stent components including struts, wherein the struts include opposite ends and are joined to each other at the respective opposite ends, thereby forming proximal apices and distal apices, the radially-expandable stent components being in relative proximal and distal relationship to each other, and ii) a plurality of bridges linking immediately proximal and distal radially-expandable stent components to each other, thereby forming the luminal stent and defining a continuous lumen, a proximal end, and a distal end of the luminal stent ; b) at least one of a luminal graft component and a polymeric coating at the luminal stent ; and c) at least one stent distal to the luminal stent and linked to the luminal stent by at least one of the luminal graft component and the polymeric coating to thereby form the luminal stent assembly , the luminal stent assembly having a proximal end at the luminal stent and a distal end at the stent distal to the luminal stent , <EOS>