AN INTRAVASCULAR STENT HAVING CURVED BRIDGES FOR CONNECTING ADJACENT HOOPS

摘要

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a stent for insertion into a vessel of a patient. The stent is a tubular member having front and back open ends and a longitudinal axis extending therebetween. The tubular member has a first smaller diameter for insertion into a patient and navigation through the vessels, and a second larger diameter for deployment into the target area of a vessel. The tubular member is made from a plurality of adjacent hoops extending between the front and back ends. The hoops include a plurality of longitudinal stints and a plurality of loops connecting adjacent struts. The stent further includes a plurality of bridges having loop to bridge connections which connect adjacent hoops to one another. The bridge to loop connection points are separated angularly with respect to the longitudinal axis. The bridges have one end attached to a loop, another end attached to a loop on an adjacent hoop. The bridges have a non-linear curved profile between their bridge to loop connection points.