Patent ID: 8080053

Claim:
A removable stent for placement within a lumen in a body of a patient, comprising: a scaffolding of struts formed from a tube of memory material and having a proximal end, a distal end, and an interior region; and at least two flexible elements independently secured to the scaffolding and spaced circumferentially from one another, wherein free ends of each flexible element are attached at separate locations along the circumference of the scaffolding of struts, wherein each element consists of a suture material and defines an engageable member that is configured to rotate relative to a wall of the lumen from a first position extending inwardly into the interior region of the scaffolding of struts to a second position that is flat and lying flush against an interior surface of the stent, the engageable members configured to reduce a diameter of the scaffolding in response to an inwardly directed force applied to the engageable members in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the lumen, wherein when the removable stent is deployed and in an expanded state within a lumen in the body of the patient, the engageable members extend into the interior region of the scaffolding of struts in the first position and rotation of the engageable members from the first position to the second position is in response to a flow of fluid internal to the body through the lumen.