Abstract: A portion of a covered stent is encapsulated with ePTFE, so that the unencapsulated portion, which is covered by a single ePTFE covering, imparts an unimpaired flexibility to the stent. One surface of the stent, either the luminal or abluminal surface, is covered by a single continuous layer of ePTFE, while limited regions, preferably near the ends of the stent, of the other surface are also covered by ePTFE. The regions covered by ePTFE on both surfaces become encapsulated when the ePTFE of one layer becomes bonded to second layer. By leaving a middle region of the stent unencapsulated, the stent retains flexibility similar to a bare stent, thereby reducing the loading and deployment forces.

Abstract: A laser cut stent for transluminal delivery has windows in its cylindrical wall, the windows giving the stent enhanced flexibility during delivery along said lumen. A method of making such a stent involves removing from the wall of a tube enough material to leave the tube wall penetrated in a multiplicity of separate cut lines, in a pattern which permits the tube to expand. The tube is then expanded and then a plurality of tube wall scrap portions are removed from the tube wall between adjacent cut lines, thereby to introduce a plurality of spacings between adjacent stenting zones of the tube wall surface, these remaining after compression of the tube to a configuration to allow it to be advanced along a tortuous bodily lumen. Advantageously, the material of the tube is a shape memory alloy and the tube is for a self-expanding stent.

Abstract: A catheter system (1) which is useable as a part of a delivery kit for introducing objects (8) into the living body is provided which has a very high flexibility with simultaneous kink resistance and via which compressive as well as tensile forces are reliably transmittable. It comprises at least one longitudinally extended inner catheter (4) and at least one accessory component (6, 10) which is arranged in the distal end region of the inner catheter (4), wherein the end-face is abutted on at least a portion of the accessory component (10) such that movement of the accessory component (10) relative to the longitudinal extent of the inner catheter (4) is prevented.