Patent ID: 7238199

Claim:
A stent comprising: an elongate body including a protected zone including a composition, a structure or a combination of a composition and a structure, where the stent has an undeployed state and a deployed state, where the protected zone is design to deform, expand, elongate or flatten as the stent transitions from its undeployed state to it deployed state to a greater extent than the body, where the composition, structure or combination is substantially protected by being disposed below an undeployed outer surface of the elongate body when the stent is in its undeployed state, and where the composition, structure or combination after deforming, expanding, elongating or flattening becomes part of a deployed outer surface of the elongate body when the stent is in its deployed state so that the body and the protected zone of the deployed stent contact a tissue site or surface to about the same extent or so that the composition, structure or combination extends above the body contacting the tissue site or surface to a greater extent than the body.