This invention is directed to an expandable stent for implantation in a body lumen, such as an artery, and a method for making it from a single length of tubing. The stent consists of a plurality of radially expandable cylindrical elements generally aligned on a common axis and interconnected by one or more links. A Y-shaped member is comprised of a U-shaped member and a link having a curved portion and a straight portion to improve the flexibility and thereby improve the fatigue performance of the Y-link junction.

Apparatus for delivering stents to body lumens include one or more tubular prostheses carried at the distal end of a catheter shaft, a sheath slidably disposed over the prostheses, and a guidewire tube extending from within the sheath to the exterior of the sheath through an exit port in a sidewall thereof. A guidewire extends slidably through the guidewire tube. The sheath can be moved relative to the catheter shaft and the guidewire tube to expose the prostheses for deployment. Methods of delivering stents are also provided.

Apparatus and methods are described, including a stent configured to be placed in a lumen. The stent includes a generally cylindrical stent body including a plurality of struts, at least one electrode post protruding from the stent body, and a plurality of antenna posts protruding longitudinally from an end of the stent body. The antenna posts are longitudinally separated from the electrode post. An antenna is disposed annularly on the antenna posts, such that the antenna posts separate the antenna from the end of the stent body, and at least one electrode is coupled to the stent by being placed on the electrode post. Additional embodiments are also described.

A stent having a line-shaped body that extends helically in a circumferential direction while reciprocating in an axial direction by continuously alternating straight parts and curved parts, wherein the plurality of straight parts in the line-shaped body have a substantially constant thickness throughout the entire stent, and a certain number of the plurality of curved parts in the line-shaped body have different thicknesses.

An anchor stent assembly to be used with a valve component includes a generally tubular frame having a first end and a second end, the frame defining a central passage and a central axis. A secondary passage is defined between n inner surface of the frame and an outer surface of an inner rib disposed closer to the central axis than the frame. An extension tube is disposed through the secondary passage. The extension tube includes an extension tube lumen having a first opening at a first end of the extension tube and a second opening at a second end of the extension tube.

Stents that are adapted to be balloon expanded and include adjacent supports connected by connecting portions. The configurations, materials, and/or dimensions of at least one of the supports and connection portions allows the stents to be expanded to a greater extent, and optionally with reduced foreshortening.

A method for manufacturing an implantable medical device, the method including the steps of: (a) providing in a vapor deposition chamber a substrate including a substrate material, an anodic source made of an anodic material, and a cathodic source made of a cathodic material, the anodic and cathodic materials forming a galvanic couple; (b) operating the vapor deposition chamber to vaporize simultaneously the anodic and cathodic materials from the anodic and cathodic sources and depositing the vaporized cathodic and anodic materials on the substrate to produce a coated substrate including the substrate material coated by a bioresorbable coating; and (c) obtaining the implantable medical device from the coated substrate. Also, a stent, a medical device and a bioresorbable material obtained with vapor deposition of materials forming a galvanic couple.

A degradable drug-loaded stent and a manufacturing method therefor. The degradable drug-loaded stent comprises a stent body, an outer surface of the stent body being provided with a drug-loaded groove, the stent body having a contracted state and an expanded state, the stent body being capable of switching from the contracted state to the expanded state via radial expansion, the stent body being a mesh columnar structure when in the expanded state, the depth of the drug-loaded groove being 10%-60% of the wall thickness of the mesh columnar structure.

A stent for vascular interventions having a hybrid open cell geometry. Variants of the stent include bare metal stents and drug-eluting stents. Embodiments of the stent include end projections for radiopaque markers or a discontinuous partial radiopaque coating on low-stress or low-strain regions of the peripheral stent. The stents of the invention are characterized by having thin walls, nested rows of struts, high expansion ratio, high and uniform radial force over entire diametric size and length of device, crush resistance up to and including about 90% of its fully expanded diameter, high fatigue resistance and high corrosion resistance.

A stent for vascular interventions having a hybrid open cell geometry. Variants of the stent include bare metal stents and drug-eluting stents. Embodiments of the stent include end projections for radiopaque markers or a discontinuous partial radiopaque coating on low-stress or low-strain regions of the peripheral stent. The stents of the invention are characterized by having thin walls, nested rows of struts, high expansion ratio, high and uniform radial force over entire diametric size and length of device, crush resistance up to and including about 90% of its fully expanded diameter, high fatigue resistance and high corrosion resistance.