Patent ID: 7166134

Claim:
A stent, comprising: a helical structure having a plurality of adjacent coils, said structure having a longitudinal axis and said adjacent coils having a pitch, said structure having spaces between said adjacent coils, said structure having an internal longitudinal passage wherein said structure is made from a fiber having a cross-section, said fiber comprising: an inner core having an exterior surface comprising a biodegradable polymer formed from monomers selected from the group consisting of lactide, glycolide, para-dioxanone, trimethylene carbonate, caprolactone, and combinations thereof, said polymer having a first degradation rate; an outer section covering the exterior surface of the inner core, the outer section comprising a blend of a first biodegradable polymer component and a second biodegradable polymer component, said first polymer component comprising a first biodegradable polymer, wherein said first biodegradable polymer comprises a lactide/glycolide copolymer having at least about 80 mole percent of polymerized glycolide, said second polymer component comprising a second biodegradable polymer, wherein said second polymer comprises a lactide-rich copolymer comprising at least about 50 mole percent of polymerized lactide, said outer layer having a second degradation rate, wherein the blend comprises at least about 50 weight percent of the first component and at least about 5 weight percent of the second component, wherein said second degradation rate of said outer section is lower than said first degradation rate.