Stent
US6312455A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 25, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 25, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61L2400/16
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A stent for use in a lumen in a human or animal body, has a generally tubular body formed from a shape memory alloy which has been treated so that it exhibits enhanced elastic properties with a point of inflection in the stress-strain curve on loading, enabling the body to be deformed inwardly to a transversely compressed configuration for insertion into the lumen and then revert towards its initial configuration, into contact with and to support the lumen. The shape memory alloy comprises nickel, titanium and from about 3 at. % to about 20 at. %, based on the weight of the total weight of the alloy composition, of a ternary element selected from the group consisting of niobium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten and gold. The ratio of the stress on loading to the stress on unloading at the respective inflection points on the loading and unloading curves is at least about 2.5:1, and the difference between the stresses on loading and unloading at the inflection points at least about 250 MPa.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.