Importance

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Abstract

A coated microporous stent and method of coating are disclosed. The inventive stent consists of a tubular member made from a flat sheet assembled together in a tube with the ends of the sheet assembled together through a technique such as surface fusing. Preferably, the stent is made up of a plurality of spaced rows of slots with spaces between adjacent slots within a row staggered with respect to corresponding spaces on adjacent rows. In a first embodiment of a coated stent, a coating is attached to the stent only at a single area of line contact on the outer surface of the stent with the remainder of the coating being larger than the unexpanded stent, but being made of dimensions designed to snugly receive the outer surfaces of the stent when it is expanded within a blood vessel. In a second embodiment, the present invention also contemplates coating of a stent of the type known as a 'self-expanding' stent that is programmed to self-expand at a particular temperature by either using the shape memory properties of the metal or by using the flexibility and elasticity of the metal. In this embodiment, prior to programming the formed stent, the stent is placed in a container of coating material and is coated. Thereafter, the stent is programmed in the desired manner and is subsequently physically compressed and kept inside a sheath. The stent is placed within the blood vessel still within the sheath, and the sheath is then removed, allowing the stent to expand to its desired configuration. Methods of making such coated stents are disclosed.

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First Claim