Stents and stent grafts

Abstract

Elastic compressible stents have a plurality of proximal and distal apices joined by struts that are essentially straight. The stent can have a polygonal cross-sectional shape, such as a dodecahedron shape. Elastic compressible stents can be made by a method that includes winding stent wire around an outer surface of a longitudinal axis of a polygonal cross-sectional shaped mandrel into a desired shape that is polygonal in an elevation orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. The stent can be formed by setting the wound stent wire in the desired polygonal final shape. The polygonal cross-sectional shape mandrel can be a mandrel having a multi-sided outer surface. Stents can include graft material attached to the stent.

1 .- 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . An elastic compressible stent having a plurality of proximal and distal apices joined by struts that are essentially straight. 
     
     
         24 . The stent of  claim 23 , wherein the stent has a polygonal cross-sectional shape. 
     
     
         25 . The stent of  claim 24 , wherein the polygonal cross-sectional shape is a dodecahedron shape. 
     
     
         26 . The stent of  claim 23 , wherein the stent includes at least five, six, seven or eight proximal apices and at least five, six, seven or eight distal apices. 
     
     
         27 . The stent of claim  1 , wherein the stent will be in essentially co-columnar apposition with a blood vessel in which the stent is implanted. 
     
     
         28 . The stent of  claim 23 , wherein the stent has a multiple-sided outer surface. 
     
     
         29 . The stent of  claim 28 , wherein the stent will be in essentially co-columnar apposition with a blood vessel in which the stent is implanted. 
     
     
         30 . The stent of claim  1 , further including graft material, wherein the graft material is attached to the stent. 
     
     
         31 . An elastic compressible stent having a plurality of proximal and distal apices joined by struts are essentially straight, made by a method, comprising the steps of:
 a) winding stent wire around an outer surface of a longitudinal axis of a polygonal cross-sectional shaped mandrel into a desired final shape that is polygonal in an elevation orthogonal to the longitudinal axis; and   forming a stent by setting the wound stent wire in the desired polygonal final shape.   
     
     
         32 . The stent of  claim 31 , wherein the stent will be in essentially co-columnar apposition with a blood vessel in which the stent is implanted. 
     
     
         33 . The stent of  claim 31 , wherein the mandrel further includes flat sections and rounded edge portions between the flat sections. 
     
     
         34 . The stent of  claim 31 , wherein the method further includes the step of forming Z-stent apices by winding the stent wire around pins on the outer surface of the mandrel longitudinally offset from one another and corresponding to desired Z-stent apex locations. 
     
     
         35 . The stent of  claim 34 , wherein the stent is a Z-stent that includes at least five, six, seven or eight proximal apices and at least five, six, seven or eight distal apices. 
     
     
         36 . The stent of  claim 31 , wherein the mandrel has a dodecahedron shape. 
     
     
         37 . The stent of  claim 31 , wherein the method further includes the step of fastening two ends of the stent wire to one another to complete the stent. 
     
     
         38 . The stent of  claim 31 , wherein the stent wire is initially wound around the outer surface of the longitudinal axis of the mandrel as a cold-drawn shape-memory wire and formed by heat-treatment. 
     
     
         39 . The stent of  claim 38 , wherein the heat-treatment includes exposing the shape-memory wire to a heat-setting temperature for a period of time with subsequent quenching as required to shape set the shape-memory wire to the then-existing shape of the wire on the mandrel and obtain superelastic mechanical characteristics of the shape-memory wire. 
     
     
         40 . The stent of  claim 31 , wherein the stent wire is exposed to at least one of the group consisting of a mechanical process, a thermal process and a chemical process that shapes the wire to desired final shape on the mandrel. 
     
     
         41 . An elastic compressible stent having a plurality of proximal and distal apices joined by struts that are essentially straight, made by a method comprising the steps of:
 a) winding a stent wire around an outer surface of a longitudinal axis of a mandrel having a multiple-sided outer surface into a desired final shape substantially corresponding to a shape of the outer surface; and   b) forming a stent by setting the wound stent wire into the desired final shape.   
     
     
         42 . The stent of  claim 41 , wherein the mandrel includes flat sections and rounded edge portions between the flat sections and the stent is formed by setting the stent wire to have rounded edges corresponding to the rounded edge portions of the mandrel and with flat sides corresponding to the flat sections of the mandrel. 
     
     
         43 . The stent of  claim 41 , wherein the method further includes the steps of:
 c) placing pins on the outer surface of the mandrel protruding perpendicularly therefrom and being longitudinally offset from one another to correspond with desired Z-stent apex locations; and   d) forming Z-stent apices of the stent by winding the stent wire around the pins.   
     
     
         44 . The stent of  claim 43 , wherein the pins are placed on each of the rounded edge portions of the mandrel. 
     
     
         45 . The stent of  claim 41 , wherein the method further includes the step of fastening two ends of the stent wire to one another to complete the stent. 
     
     
         46 . The stent of  claim 41 , wherein the stent wire is initially wound around the outer surface of the longitudinal axis of the mandrel as a cold-drawn shape-memory wire and the stent is formed by heat-treatment. 
     
     
         47 . The stent of  claim 41 , wherein the stent is formed by exposing the stent wire to at least one of the group consisting of a mechanical process, a thermal process, and a chemical process that shapes the wire to the desired final shape on the mandrel.