STENTS FOR BLOOD VESSELS

摘要

A stent for supporting part of a blood vessel which stent includes a supporting portion around which or within which part of a blood vessel intended for grafting can be placed so that the stent internally or externally supports that part and the supporting portion of the stent is of a shape and/or orientation whereby flow between graft and host vessel is caused to follow a non-planar curve. By maintaining non-planar curvature in the graft itself, favorable blood flow velocity patterns can be achieved through generation therein of "swirl' flow. Failures in such grafts through blockage, kinking or collapse, can be significantly reduced.