Patent ID: 8152842

Claim:
A self-expanding stent with a lumen and a longitudinal axis, comprising: a series of zig-zag stenting rings spaced along the axis with adjacent said rings connected by connecting links spaced around the circumference of the rings, the series including: a sequence of three such rings A, B, C with the links between any two axially adjacent rings A, B being circumferentially staggered relative to the links between the rings B, C, each ring being constituted by a succession of alternating struts with points of inflection therebetween, there being at each axial end of each ring a plurality of points of inflection on the circumference between any two adjacent links located at that end of the ring, wherein the points of inflection at one end of at least one of the rings are staggered in their location along the longitudinal axis whereby, with axial withdrawal of a surrounding sheath at a stenting site, to deploy the self-expanding stent, the individual points of inflection at said one ring end escape from the sheath sequentially, with continued withdrawal of the sheath, rather than simultaneously; and a first leading end stenting ring connected to a second leading end stenting ring, wherein all points of inflection of the first leading stenting ring lie in a first plane transverse to the longitudinal axis, and all points of inflection of the second leading end stenting ring lie in a second plane transverse to the longitudinal axis, and wherein the second leading end stenting ring is connected to a proximally adjacent ring of said series of zig-zag stenting rings via at least two links.