EP0836839A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Improved vascular and endoluminal stents
Assignee: Inflow Dynamics SA
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Filing: 1997-10-21
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-10-21
Abstract
Abstract A vascular or endoluminal stent is adapted for deployment in a vessel or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen therein. The stent includes a biocompatible metal hollow tube having a multiplicity of openings through an open-ended tubular wall thereof, the tube constituting a single member from which the entire stent is fabricated, and a thin, tightly adherent layer of gold overlying the entire exposed surface area of the tube including edges of the openings as well as exterior and interior surfaces and ends of the wall. The layer may include at least a trace of another noble metal to improve the adherence of the layer to the underlying metal surface of the tube. Plural tightly bonded films superposed one atop another may be used to form a composite layer, but in any event the overall layer has a thickness in a range from approximately 1 micron to approximately 20 microns. The gold coating serves to reduce thrombogenicity, enhance fluoroscopic visibility, and reduce allergic reaction relative to that experienced with implantation of stainless steel and other metal stents in the human body.
Inventors
- 👤 Eckhard Dr. Alt
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:03
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/82; A61F2/86; A61F2/90; A61F2/91; A61F2/915; A61F2002/91533; A61F2002/91541; A61F2002/9155; A61F2002/91558; A61F2230/00; A61F2230/0002; A61F2230/0028; A61F2230/0054; A61F2240/00; A61F2240/001; A61F2310/00; A61F2310/00389; A61F2310/00395; A61F2310/00419; A61F2310/00568
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
86 words
A vascular or endolumial stent adapted for deployment in a vessel
or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen therein, comprising a biocompatible metal
hollow tube having a multiplicity of openings through a open-ended tubular wall thereof,
said tube constituting a single member from which the entire stent is fabricated, and a thin,
tightly adherent layer of gold overlying the entire exposed surface area of the tube including
edges of said openings as well as exterior and interior surfaces and ends of said wall.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
34 words
The stent of claim 1 , wherein the gold layer includes at least a trace
of another noble metal to improve the adherence of the layer to the underlying metal surface
of the tube.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The stent of claim 1 , wherein the gold layer is composed of plural
tightly bonded films superposed one atop another.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The stent of claim 1, wherein the gold layer has a thickness in a range
from approximately 1 micron to approximately 20 microns.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The stent of claim 4 , wherein the gold layer has a thickness of
approximately 5 microns.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
97 words
A vascular or endoluminal stent adapted for deployment in a vessel
or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen therein, comprising a generally cylindrical
open-ended biocompatible metal element having a multiplicity of radial through-holes
therein, and a thin noble metal coating over the entire exposed surface of the cylindrical
element including the edges of the through-holes as well as interior and exterior surfaces
and ends of the cylindrical element and forming a tight bond therewith capable of
withstanding without rupture a radial expansion and linear contraction of the cylindrical
element during deployment of the stent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The stent of claim 6 , wherein said noble metal coating is composed
primarily of gold.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The stent of claim 6 , wherein said noble metal coating is an ion beam
deposition.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
14 words
The stent of claim 6 , wherein said noble metal coating is a
electroplate.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
48 words
The stent of claim 8 , wherein said noble metal coating includes a
plurality of layers at least one layer of which is said ion beam deposition overlying the
surface of the cylindrical element, and another layer of which is said electroplate overlying
the ion beam deposition layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
The stent of claim 6 , wherein said metal element is a wire mesh.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The stent of claim 6 , wherein said metal element is a hollow tube.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
78 words
A method of fabricating a vascular or endoluminal stent adapted for
deployment in a vessel or tract of a patient to maintain an open lumen therein, comprising
the step of forming an open-ended tubular biocompatible metal element with through-holes
in the wall thereof, and coating the entire surface of the tubular metal element including
exterior and interior surfaces and ends of said wall and edges of said through-holes therein
with a thin, tightly adherent layer of noble metal.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 13 , wherein the step of coating comprises
depositing the noble metal over said entire surface of the tubular metal element to a
thickness in a range from 1 to 20 microns.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the step of depositing includes ion
beam deposition of the noble metal under vacuum on exposed surface of the tubular metal
element.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of claim 15 , wherein the step of depositing includes
galvanically depositing a further thickness of noble metal on the layer formed by ion beam
deposition.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the noble metal is gold.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 14 , wherein the noble metal is gold alloy.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 14 , including pre-opening the stent either before
or after applying the noble metal coating.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 14 , including cleansing impurities from the
noble metal coating.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
23 words
A method of reducing the thrombogenicity of a metallic stent, which
comprises coating the entire surface of the stent with a noble metal.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
24 words
A method of decreasing the allergic potential of a metallic stent,
which comprises coating the entire surface of the stent with a noble metal.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
25 words
A method of enhancing the X-ray fluoroscopic visualization of a
metallic stent, which comprises coating the entire surface of the stent with a noble metal.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
33 words
A method of enhancing the X-ray contrast of a metallic stent without
substantially increasing the physical dimensions of the stent, which comprises coating the
entire surface of the stent with a noble metal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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