Disclosed is a stent for transluminal implantation in hollow organs, particularly in blood vessels, the ureter, the esophagus, the colon, the duodenum or bile ducts. The stent comprises a first section comprising a substantially tubular first body which extends along a first longitudinal axis and comprises a first lateral end and a first central end; a second section comprising a substantially tubular second body which extends along a second longitudinal axis and comprises a second lateral end and a second central end, wherein the first and second stent sections are connected to each other in the region of the central ends by means of a coupling section, the stent comprising a plurality of cells which are defined by bordering elements formed by the tubular bodies, and wherein the first central end of the first stent section is embodied in a sloping manner.

A vascular stent may be used to maintain or enhance patency of a blood vessel. By using multiple, separate stent elements that are balloon expandable, the multi-element stent may be stronger than a traditional self-expanding stent but may also be more flexible, due to its multiple-element configuration, than a traditional balloon-expandable stent. The stent elements are formed from a bioresorbable polymer material. The radial rigidity of the stent is configured to decrease after implantation in a vessel as the polymer is absorbed. The thickness of the stent, cell shape, polymer material, and/or treatment of the polymer material may be configured to provide a high initial radial rigidity to the vessel upon implantation and a decrease in the radial rigidity of the vessel over time.

A stent incorporating flexible, preferably polymeric, connecting elements into the stent wherein these elements connect adjacent, spaced-apart stent elements. Preferably the spaced-apart adjacent stent elements are the result of forming the stent from a helically wound serpentine wire having space provided between adjacent windings. Other stent forms such as multiple, individual spaced-apart ring-shaped or interconnected stent elements may also be used. The connecting elements are typically web-shaped and result from creating slits or apertures in a covering of graft material applied to the stent and then, for example, applying heat to cause the slits or apertures to enlarge. The remaining graft material forms the interconnecting webs between the adjacent stent elements.

A stent and method of making incorporating flexible, preferably polymeric, connecting elements into the stent wherein these elements connect element(s) across an intervening space. The polymeric connecting elements are designed to fold within the space between the outer diameter of the stent and the inner diameter of the stent.

A multi-stage stent including a stent body and a bio-erodible material is provided. The stent body can be compressed in an initial state and the bio-erodible material can be coupled to the stent body in a configuration that holds the stent body in an expanded first state, following a first stage expansion from the initial state upon deployment of the stent body. Upon erosion of the bio-erodible material the stent body is released from the first state to expand further in a second stage expansion to a second state.

An integrated valve prosthesis includes an anchor stent, a tether component, and a valve component. The anchor stent includes a self-expanding tubular frame member configured to be deployed in the annulus of an aortic valve or the aorta. The valve component includes a valve frame and a prosthetic valve coupled to the valve frame, and is configured to be deployed within the anchor stent. The tether component includes a first end coupled to the anchor stent and a second end coupled to the valve frame. In the delivery configuration, the tether component extends in a first direction from the anchor stent to the valve component, and in the deployed configuration, the tether component extends in a second direction from the anchor stent to the valve component. The second direction is generally opposite the first direction. The tether component may set the location of the valve component relative to the anchor stent.

Disclosed is a method, apparatus, and kit for assisting the expansion of a self-expanding stent, especially within highly curved or tortuous blood vessels. An elongated pusher having an expandable distal mesh portion can be positioned within a self-expanding stent, expanding during delivery to provide extra expansion force to the stent to ensure the stent properly expands.

A stent having an improved anti-sliding function is proposed. The stent includes inner and outer stents that have undergone heat treatment and have several spaces formed by weaving or crossing wires made of a superelastic shape memory alloy in a hollow cylindrical net shape, in which the outer stent is shorter than the inner stent and has an enlarged section having a diameter larger than the inner stent and a bending section formed by bending inward a side of the enlarged section; and a pair of outer stents are fitted on both ends of the inner stent such that a pair of enlarged section face each other, and spaces of the inner stent and spaces of the bending sections are connected by a connection thread, whereby a space section is defined between the inner stent and the outer stent.

A system for deploying a prosthesis over a Carina between an ipsilateral lumen and a contralateral lumen includes a guidewire, a guidewire capture catheter, a self-expanding tubular prosthesis, and a delivery catheter. The guidewire is first placed in the ipsilateral lumen. The guidewire capture catheter is then advanced from the contralateral lumen to a position at or above the ipsilateral lumen. The guidewire is typically advanced through an occlusion, which may be a total occlusion, and captured by a capture element on the guidewire capture catheter. The guidewire capture catheter pulls the guidewire out through the contralateral side, and the guidewire is used to advance a delivery catheter from the ipsilateral side. The delivery catheter delivers a first segment of the tubular prosthesis in the ipsilateral lumen and a second segment of the prosthesis in the contralateral lumen.

The present invention relates to an implantable apparatus and methods of use thereof for treating congestive heart failure. An apparatus of this invention may be anchored by implantation of a section of the apparatus within in a branch pulmonary artery, for example the left pulmonary artery, which then positions and anchors another section, for example a device frame section of the apparatus within the main pulmonary artery. A medical device may be attached to the anchored device frame.