Patent ID: 7645297

Claim:
A stent for application in a body vessel, comprising a tubular support frame defining a longitudinal axis and expandable from an initial state to a support state, said support frame including plural ring segments arranged sequentially in a direction of a longitudinal axis and formed by struts having a wavy configuration and adjoining each other continuously via transitions, with each strut having a width which as measured transversely to the longitudinal axis increases from midsection in a direction to the transitions, and first and second tie bars for connecting neighboring ring segments, each of the tie bars including an arm extending in circumferential direction of the support frame and terminating on both ends in axial sections of wavy configuration for connection of the first and second tie bars to the transitions, with the axial sections of the first tie bars having a width which as measured transversely to the longitudinal axis increases from the arm in a direction to the transitions, wherein each of the first tie bars extends from a bottom of two interconnected struts of a ring segment to an opposing bottom of two interconnected struts of an adjacent ring segment, with the bottoms disposed offset to another, wherein each of the second tie bars extends from a tip of two interconnected struts of a ring segment to an opposing tip of two interconnected struts of an adjacent ring segment, with the tips disposed offset to one another, and wherein in support state of the support frame the first bars are sized to extend substantially in a direction of the longitudinal axis, and the second tie bars are sized to substantially extend in a direction transversely to the longitudinal.