Patents Examined by Hieuj Phan
  • Patent number: 6312460
    Abstract: The hinge stent is a balloon-expandable or self-expandable intravascular endoprosthesis used for treatment of vascular injury. The hinge stent is formed of a single stent section or of multiple stent sections joined together. Each stent section has a node and strut structure extending throughout in order to uncouple expansion forces of the stent to hold a blood vessel outward from crush forces that resist the formation of an oval shape during a crush deformation. Each node includes a hinge which is joined via a transition region to a strut. The hinge can bend in the direction of a uniformly curved surface of the stent but not in the radial direction. The strut can bend in the radial direction but not in the uniformly curved surface of the stent. The widths, lengths, and radial dimensions of the hinges and struts provide a balloon-expandable hinge stent that is non-crushable. For a self-expandable stent the hinge and strut dimensions provide expansion forces that are controlled independently from crush forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2001
    Inventors: William J. Drasler, Joseph M. Thielen