Patent ID: 7223283

Claim:
A stent comprising: at least two serpentine circumferential bands including a first serpentine circumferential band and a second serpentine circumferential band, each serpentine circumferential band having alternating peaks and troughs, there being a plurality of unconnected peak-trough pairs, each unconnected peak-trough pair comprising a peak on the first serpentine circumferential band and a trough on the second serpentine circumferential band which is substantially circumferentially aligned with the peak when the stent is in an unexpanded configuration, the trough not connected to the peak, there being a plurality of unconnected peak-trough pairs, each connected peak-trough pair comprising a peak on the first serpentine circumferential band and a trough on the second serpentine circumferential band which is substantially circumferentially aligned with the peak when the stent is in an unexpanded configuration, the trough connected to the peak, the distance along the first serpentine circumferential band between each peak of a connected peak-trough pair and an adjacent peak of an unconnected peak-trough pair differing from the distance along the second serpentine circumferential band between the trough of the connected-trough pair and an adjacent trough of an unconnected peak-trough pair, the adjacent peak substantially opposite the adjacent trough, the peaks of the serpentine circumferential bands including short peaks and long peaks, the long peaks extending distally beyond the short peaks in the serpentine circumferential band and the troughs of the serpentine circumferential bands including short troughs and long troughs, the long troughs extending proximally beyond the short troughs in the serpentine circumferential band, the long and short peaks of a serpentine circumferential band arranged in a repeating pattern of two long peaks and one short peak, the long and short troughs of a serpentine circumferential band arranged in a repeating pattern of two short toughs and one long trough.