Patent ID: 8202312

Claim:
A stent for holding open a blood vessel comprising: a plurality of first loop containing sections arranged generally in a circumferential direction and spaced apart from one another, said first loop containing section having first loops and second loops, wherein said first loops open in a first direction and said second loops open in a second direction opposite to the first direction, said first loops and second loops occurring at a first frequency, and wherein adjacent first loops in the first loop containing sections are staggered around the circumference of the stent; a plurality of second loop containing sections, said second loop containing sections having first loops and second loops wherein said first loops open in a first direction and said second loops open in a second direction opposite to the first direction, said first and second loops in said second loop containing sections occurring at a second frequency that is higher than said first frequency, said second loop containing sections consecutively alternating with said first loop containing sections for at least two repetitions and periodically coupled to said first loop containing sections along a longitudinal axis of the stent directly at points of connection at curved portions of said first and second loop containing sections, wherein said second loop containing sections provide longitudinal flexibility of the stent, and wherein adjacent first loops in the second loop containing sections are staggered around the circumference of the stent.