Patent ID: 7993388

Claim:
A stent comprising: a stent body expandable between an un-deployed orientation and a deployed orientation, the stent body having a circumference and a longitudinal axis extending between first and second open ends; the stent body having a plurality of circumferential support structures which extend generally about the circumference of the stent, the circumferential support structures being spaced-apart along the longitudinal axis and including pairs of tapered struts alternating with single, non-tapered struts; each of the circumferential support structures including longitudinal struts interconnected at apex portions, at least some of the longitudinal struts having widths that taper as the at least some longitudinal struts extend along the stent body longitudinal axis, the longitudinal struts and apex portions defining an undulating pattern, at least some of the apex portions of adjacent circumferential support structures being configured to longitudinally extend past each other when in the un-deployed configuration thus providing longitudinal overlap; and a plurality of circumferential connecting struts interconnecting at least some of the adjacent circumferential support structures, the circumferential connecting struts extending between the apex portions that extend past each other.