Patent ID: 8512395

Claim:
A stent comprising: an unexpanded configuration, a nominally expanded configuration, and an fully expanded configuration; a plurality of longitudinally adjacent circumferential bands; and a plurality of connectors; in the unexpanded configuration, each circumferential band comprising: a plurality of circumferentially adjacent strut pairs; and a plurality of bridges, each strut pair comprising a first strut and a second strut, the first strut and the second strut being joined to one another by one of the bridges at a joined end, the first strut being angularly offset from the second strut by an acute angle; each bridge comprising two straight segments connected to one another by a u-shaped segment, the two straight segments being parallel to one another and angularly offset relative to the first and second struts, bridges extending into an opening defined by the first and second struts; longitudinally adjacent circumferential bands being connected one to another by at least one of the connectors, wherein the first and second struts are wider than the straight segments, and the bridges of longitudinally adjacent circumferential bands are circumferentially offset from one another; and wherein a distance between the first strut and the second strut at the joined end is less than a distance between the first strut and the second strut at an unjoined end when the stent is in the nominally expanded configuration.