Abstract: A stent for a vessel inserted in use into the vessel of a living body including a tubular member constituting a passageway from one end to its opposite end. The tubular member includes a main mid portion and low tenacity portions formed integrally with both ends of the main mid portion. The low tenacity portions are lower in tenacity than the main mid portion. These low tenacity portions are formed so as to have the Young's modulus approximate to that of the vessel of the living body in which is inserted the stent, so that, when the stent is inserted into the vessel, it is possible to prevent stress concentrated portions from being produced in the vessel.

Abstract: A stent for a vessel inserted in use into the vessel of a living body including a tubular member constituting a passageway from one end to its opposite end. The tubular member includes a main mid portion and low tenacity portions formed integrally with both ends of the main mid portion. The low tenacity portions are lower in tenacity than the main mid portion. These low tenacity portions are formed so as to have the Young's modulus approximate to that of the vessel of the living body in which is inserted the stent, so that, when the stent is inserted into the vessel, it is possible to prevent stress concentrated portions from being produced in the vessel.

Abstract: A stent for a vessel inserted in use into the vessel of a living body including a tubular member constituting a passageway from one end to its opposite end. The tubular member includes a main mid portion and low tenacity portions formed integrally with both ends of the main mid portion. The low tenacity portions are lower in tenacity than the main mid portion. These low tenacity portions are formed so as to have the Young's modulus approximate to that of the vessel of the living body in which is inserted the stent, so that, when the stent is inserted into the vessel, it is possible to prevent stress concentrated portions from being produced in the vessel.

Abstract: A luminal stent is a tubular body formed by knitting a sole yarn of a bioresorbable polymer fiber, such as fiber of polylactic acid, polyglycol acid or a polylactic acid--polyglycol acid copolymer. When introduced into and attached to the inside of the vessel by a catheter fitted with a balloon, the tubular member may retain its shape for several weeks to several months after attachment and subsequently disappears by being absorbed into the living tissue. In this manner, the luminal stent is not left as a foreign matter semi-permanently in the living body without producing inflammation or hypertrophy in the vessel. There is also provided a method for attaching the luminal stent in the vessel.

Abstract: A luminal stent is a tubular body formed by knitting a sole yarn of a bioresorbable polymer fiber, such as fiber of polylactic acid, polyglycol acid or a polylactic acid--polyglycol acid copolymer. When introduced into and attached to the inside of the vessel by a catheter fitted with a balloon, the tubular member may retain its shape for several weeks to several months after attachment and subsequently disappears by being absorbed into the living tissue. In this manner, the luminal stent is not left as a foreign matter semi-permanently in the living body without producing inflammation or hypertrophy in the vessel. There is also provided a method for attaching the luminal stent in the vessel.

Abstract: A medical suturing material which is loaded into an automatic suturing device having a staple line when used. The medical suturing material according to the present invention is formed into a bag shape having a closed leading end by sewing a sheet shape suturing material by using a suturing thread. The main material of the suturing material is unwoven fabric such as felt, woven fabric or a knit cloth having somewhat flexibility and stretchability. In particular, bioabsorbable polymer, such as polyglycolic acid or a portion of a tissue of an organism is employed. Since the suturing material according to the present invention is formed into the bag shape having a closed leading end by sewing, displacement taking place attributable to shrinkage in the insertion direction can be prevented when the automatic suturing device is inserted.

Abstract: A stent device which can be loaded on any balloon catheter and which permits an arbitrary stent to be employed in combination with an arbitrary catheter. That is, the present invention is directed to a stent device having a stent fitted on the outer peripheral surface of a radially dilatable and contractible tubular cartridge. The stent device is mounted on a balloon-forming portion of a balloon catheter designed for extending the outside diameter of the catheter from a contracted state to a dilated state. The balloon-forming portion is dilated in the vessel for dilating the stent along with the tubular cartridge. The balloon-forming portion and the tubular cartridge are then contracted for detaching the stent from the balloon catheter for supplying the stent within the vessel.

Abstract: A medical suturing material which is loaded into an automatic suturing device having a staple line when used. The medical suturing material has a main suturing material on which a shape maintaining support member made of a film or a sheet having rigidity is superposed, wherein the main suturing material and the shape maintaining support member are joined together by sewing by using a single thread into a bag shape and the leading end of the bag structure is closed so as to be loaded into the automatic suturing device having the staple line. The main suturing material is unwoven fabric such as felt, woven fabric or a knit cloth having some flexibility and stretchability. In particular, bioabsorbable polymer, such as polyglycolic acid or a portion of a tissue of an organism is employed.

Abstract: A luminal stent inserted and fixed in a vessel, such as a blood vessel, so as to maintain the shape of the vessel, and a device for inserting and fixing the luminal stent, are disclosed. The luminal stent is formed of a yarn of bioabsorbable polymer fibers, which yarn is shaped in a non-woven non-knitted state in, for example, a meandering state, around the peripheral surface of an imaginary tubular member. The bioabsorbable polymer includes polylactic acid, polyglycol acid, polyglactin, polydioxanone, polyglyconate, polyglycol acid and a polylactic acid-.epsilon.-caprolactone copolymer. The device for inserting and fixing the luminal stent consists in a catheter having a balloon-forming portion in the vicinity of a distal end thereof and the luminal stent fitted on the balloon-forming portion and affixed to the balloon-forming portion by a bio-compatible material, such as an in vivo decomposable polymer, such as polylactic acid, water-soluble protein or fibrin sizing agent.

Abstract: A stent according to the present invention is adapted to be introduced into a vascular system such as blood vessels. The stent includes a stent body produced by weaving or knitting a fiber containing a drug and made of a low-melting biodegradable polymer into a tubular shape, or coating a drug-containing low-melting biodegradable polymer on a stent body. When the stent is introduced into the vascular system, the drug contained therein is dosed in a locally limited region of the vascular system. The low-melting biodegradable polymer used has a melting point of 80.degree. C. or lower and is at least one compound selected from the group consisting of poly-.epsilon.-caprolactone, poly-D, L-deca-lactone, poly-dioxane and a copolymer thereof.