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 vascular graft comprises a perforate tubular compressible frame having a fabric liner disposed over at least a portion of the frames lumen. The graft may be used in combination with a base structure to form a bifurcated graft in situ. The base structure compresses a compressible frame having a fabric liner which defines a pair of divergent legs. The base structure is positioned within the aorta so that one leg enters each iliac. The tubular grafts can then be introduced into each leg to form the bifurcated structure. A graft delivery catheter includes a controllably flared sheath which facilitates recapture of a partially deployed graft.

As detailed herein, a biocompatible apparatus comprises a porous material comprising ceramic nanotubes bound together with a filler material. The proportion of the filler material may be selected to provide porosity for the porous material that is biocompatible, and the porous material may be shaped to provide a compliant biomedical device. In one embodiment, the compliant biomedical device is a stent such as intravascular stent. A method for fabricating a biocompatible device is also described herein. The method may include growing ceramic nanotubes on a substrate, infiltrating the ceramic nanotubes with a filler material to provide a porous material having a porosity that is biocompatible, and removing the porous material from the substrate to provide a biocompatible ceramic device. The method may also include coating the biocompatible ceramic device with a drug-eluting material.

An aortic bare stent and an aortic dissection stent are disclosed. The aortic bare stent is in a tubular net structure, with multiple support stents in circles and arranged along an axial direction. Two adjacent support stents are connected by a connector stent. The connector stent is made of a hyper-elastic material. A flexural rigidity of the connector stent is less than that of the support stent. The support stent is made of a single-strand hyper-elastic nickel titanium wire or formed by cutting a nickel titanium tubing. The connector stent is made of a multi-strand composite wire. The multi-strand composite wire is formed by twisting or weaving multiple strands of filaments, and each strand of filament is independently of a nickel titanium material.

A prosthesis is disclosed for placement across an ostium opening from a main body lumen to a branch body lumen. The prosthesis has a radially expansible support and a bifurcation traversing portion. The radially expansible support is configured to be deployed in at least a portion of the branch body lumen. The bifurcation traversing portion has a biostable portion having a first end and a second end. The first end is located adjacent to the radially expansible support. The bifurcation traversing portion also has a biodegradable portion having a first end coupled with the second end of the biostable portion. The biodegradable portion has a second end disposed at an end of the prosthesis opposite the radially expansible support. When deployed, the bifurcation traversing portion extends from the radially expansible support across a bifurcation and into a main body lumen such that the carina is supported thereby.

An arterial anchor device operably coupled by graft material to form an anastomotic connector is provided. The arterial anchor device comprises a generally tubular main body including a distal end and a proximal end, the distal end defining a plurality of flanges integrally formed with the tubular main body and being movable from a first loaded position to a second expanded position. The arterial anchor device is fluidly connected by a graft to form an anastomotic connector.

An implantable frame comprises a plurality of corner structures configured to decrease pressure to the vessel wall and define pulsatility enhancing windows of the implantable frame. The corner structures may comprise plurality of neighboring longitudinal struts that extend in a longitudinal direction of the blood vessel when placed to form the vessel wall to a substantially polygonal cross-section and distribute pressure loading of the corner structure among the plurality of neighboring longitudinal struts to improve biocompatibility. The corner structures also allow increased forming of the vessel wall and can provide stretching of the vessel wall to enhance pulsatility of the vessel wall.

Vascular stent, in particular made of an in vivo degradable plastic material, having individual ring segments (2), the webs (4) of which are of meandering configuration, and comprising connecting webs (3) arranged between adjacent ring segments (2), said webs converging in connection points (7) with the webs (4) of the ring segments (2), with recesses (9a, 9b) being arranged at angles of the connection points (7) that are compressed when the vascular stent (1) is expanded, said recesses being open towards the edge and extending through the ring segment webs (4) and connecting webs (3), with a view to reducing stresses arising during the expansion of the vascular stent (1).

A stent including linear struts forming an outer periphery of a cylindrical shape in which a gap is formed, a link portion connecting the struts to each other in the gap, and a connection extension portion extending along a connection direction of the link portion. The link portion includes a first curved portion provided on one end in the connection direction, and curves to protrude inward in the radial direction, and a second curved portion provided on the other end of the connection direction, and curves to protrude inward in the radial direction. The connection extension portion includes a first gradually decreasing portion gradually decreasing from the first curved portion toward an edge on one end of the connection direction, and a second gradually decreasing portion gradually decreasing from the second curved portion toward an edge on the other end of the connection direction.

Apparatus and methods are described, including a stent configured to be placed in a lumen. The stent includes a generally cylindrical stent body comprising a plurality of struts, and a plurality of antenna posts protruding longitudinally from an end of the stent body. Each of the antenna posts includes a proximal and distal portions, each of which is configured to be generally straight in the absence of any force being applied to the antenna post, and a compliant junction disposed between the proximal and distal portions, the proximal and distal portions being configured to flex with respect to one another about the compliant junction. An antenna is disposed annularly on the distal portions of the antenna posts, such that the antenna posts separate the antenna from the end of the stent body. Other applications are also described.