Importance

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Abstract

Embodiments of multiple interconnected stents each include a stent having a plurality of rows of slots with spaces between the slots being staggered in adjacent rows. In each embodiment, a plurality of stents are interconnected together with a connector. In one embodiment, the connector consists of a single flexible bar. In a second embodiment, the connector consists of a plurality of U-shaped members fused together. In a third embodiment, the connector consists of a plurality of slots orthogonal to the stent slots. In a fourth embodiment, a multiplicity of stents are interconnected together by flexible bars that are vertically staggered with respect to one another. In a fifth embodiment, adjacent stents are interconnected by flexible connectors resembling the letter 'H'. In a sixth embodiment, adjacent stents are interconnected by a plurality of vertically spaced horizontal bars. In a seventh, eighth and ninth embodiment, adjacent stents are interconnected by a plurality of flexible connectors resembling the letter 'W', 'V' and 'U', respectively. The stents are prepared by coating a metal tube with a polymer, removing a predetermined portion of the polymer and removing the exposed metal by etching or electrolysis.

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First Claim