1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of fabricating a stent.
2. Description of the State of the Art
This invention relates to radially expandable endoprostheses which are adapted to be implanted in a body lumen. An “endoprosthesis” corresponds to an artificial implantable medical device that is placed inside the body. A “lumen” refers to a cavity of a tubular organ such as a blood vessel. These endoprostheses are commonly referred to as stents. Stents are generally cylindrically shaped devices which function to hold open and sometimes expand a segment of a blood vessel or other anatomical lumen such as urinary tracts and bile ducts. Stents are often used in the treatment of atherosclerotic stenosis in blood vessels. “Stenosis” refers to a narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a bodily passage or orifice. In such treatments, stents reinforce body vessels and prevent restenosis following angioplasty in the vascular system. “Restenosis” refers to the reoccurrence of stenosis in a blood vessel or heart valve after it has been treated (as by balloon angioplasty or valvuloplasty) with apparent success.
The cylindrical structure of stents is typically composed of a scaffolding that includes a pattern or network of interconnecting structural elements or struts. The scaffolding can be formed from wires, tubes, or planar films of material rolled into a cylindrical shape. In addition, a medicated stent may be fabricated by coating the surface of either a metallic or polymeric scaffolding with a polymeric carrier. The polymeric carrier can include an active agent or drug. Furthermore, the pattern that makes up the stent allows the stent to be radially expandable and longitudinally flexible. Longitudinal flexibility facilitates delivery of the stent and radial rigidity is needed to hold open a body lumen. The pattern should be designed to maintain the necessary longitudinal flexibility and radial rigidity of the stent.
A number of techniques have been suggested to fabricate stents from tubes and planar films or sheets. One such technique involves laser cutting or etching a pattern onto a material. Laser cutting may be performed on a planar film of a material which is then rolled into a tube. Alternatively, a desired pattern may be etched directly onto a tube. Fabricating a stent from a tube is preferable due to time and cost considerations. Other techniques involve cutting a desired pattern into a sheet or a tube via chemical etching or electrical discharge machining. Laser cutting of stents has been described in a number of publications including U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,807 to Saunders, U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,005 to Richter and U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,759 to Richter.
It is desirable for a stent to have certain mechanical properties to facilitate delivery and deployment of a stent, especially in the bending portions of the stent that are bent during crimping and expansion of the stent. For example, longitudinal flexibility is important for successful delivery of the stent. In addition, radial rigidity and strength are vital characteristics in deployment and for holding open a body lumen. The pattern that makes up the stent allows the stent to be radially expandable and longitudinally flexible. The pattern should be designed to maintain the necessary longitudinal flexibility and radial rigidity of the stent. One technique for strengthening the bending portions of a stent is to laser cut the stent such as to widen the bending portions of the stent. However, upon crimping a stent that includes wider bending portions, oftentimes the stent flips upwards or “chip” when the strut is bent during crimping and/or expansion.
What is needed in the art is a method of fabricating a stent to mechanically strengthen the stent in selected portions.
The invention provides a method of manufacturing a stent, the method comprising: disposing a polymeric tube into a cylindrical mold, the cylindrical mold having a variable diameter along a portion of the inside surface of the mold; radially expanding the tube by blowing a gas or liquid into the cylindrical mold, the outside surface of the tube conforming to the variable diameter portion of the inside surface of the mold, causing the radially expanded tube to have a variable diameter along the conformed length of the tube; and fabricating a stent from the expanded tube.
The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a stent, the method comprising: disposing a polymeric tube into a cylindrical mold, the cylindrical mold having a protrusion or indentation on the inside surface of the mold; radially expanding the tube by blowing a gas or liquid into the cylindrical mold, the outside surface of the tube conforming to the protrusion or indentation on the inside surface of the mold, the protrusion in the mold causing an indentation on the outside surface of the tube, or the indentation in the mold causing a protrusion on the outside surface of the tube; and fabricating a stent with the expanded tube.
a) depicts a close-up axial view of a region where a laser beam interacts with a tube having features.
b) depicts a close-up end view of a region where a laser beam interacts with a tube having features.
For the purposes of the present invention, the following terms and definitions apply:
“Stress” refers to force per unit area, as in the force acting through a small area within a plane. Stress can be divided into components, normal and parallel to the plane, called normal stress and shear stress, respectively. True stress denotes the stress where force and area are measured at the same time. Conventional stress, as applied to tension and compression tests, is force divided by the original gauge length.
“Elastic limit” refers to the maximum stress that a material will withstand without permanent deformation.
“Strength” refers to the maximum stress in a direction in testing which a material will withstand prior to fracture. The ultimate strength is calculated from the maximum load applied during the test divided by the original cross-sectional area.
“Strain” refers to the amount of elongation or compression that occurs in a material at a given stress or load. Elongation may be defined as the increase in length which occurs when subjected to stress. It is typically expressed as a percentage of the original length.
The “glass transition temperature,” Tg, is the temperature at which the amorphous domains of a polymer change from a brittle vitreous state to a plastic state at atmospheric pressure. In other words, the Tg corresponds to the temperature where the onset of segmental motion in the chains of the polymer occurs. Tg of a given polymer can be dependent on the heating rate and can be influenced by the thermal history of the polymer. Above Tg, molecular orientation may be induced with applied stress since rotation of polymer chains, and hence segmental mobility is possible. Between Tg and the melting temperature of the polymer, Tm, rotational barriers exist, however, the barriers are not great enough to substantially prevent segmental mobility. As the temperature of a polymer is increased above Tg, the energy barriers to rotation decrease and segmental mobility of polymer chains tend to increase. As a result, as the temperature increases, molecular orientation is more easily induced with applied stress.
Embodiments of the method can be used to fabricate devices including, but not limited to, stents, balloon-expandable stents, stent-grafts, and grafts. Various embodiments to manufacture a stent with desirable features are described herein. Some embodiments to manufacture the device include fabricating the stent from a polymer conduit or tube. The tube may be cylindrical or substantially cylindrical in shape. For example,
The polymeric tube may be used to fabricate a stent. Fabrication may include forming a pattern that includes at least one interconnecting element or strut on the elongated tube. The stent may be formed by laser cutting a pattern on the elongated tube. Representative examples of lasers that may be used include an ultra fast laser, excimer, carbon dioxide, and YAG. Chemical etching may also be used to form a pattern on the elongated tube.
The polymeric tube for use in manufacturing a stent has a desired strength and flexibility in the longitudinal direction, as shown by an arrow 135 in
Several embodiments disclosed herein provide applying radial pressure to a polymeric tube by positioning the polymeric tube within a cylindrical mold. The cylindrical mold may include features where, upon conveying a gas or liquid at a selected pressure into a proximal end of the polymeric tube, the cylindrical mold acts to control the diameter of the expanded polymeric tube by limiting the expansion to the inside diameter of the cylindrical mold. The pressure of the conveyed gas may be used to control the expansion of the polymeric tube to a desired diameter, while a distal end of the polymeric tube may be closed. The inside diameter of the cylindrical mold with features corresponds to the desired shape and diameter of the formed polymeric tube. The inside surface of the mold may include features such as protrusions, projections, grooves, indentations, flanges, overhangs, and extensions. Other features are also possible. The embodiments disclosed herein allow formation of a tube with a variable diameter and/or features on the outside surface of the tube. The invention also provides fabricating a stent having portions that are thicker than other portions of the stent.
Polymeric tube 300 may be closed at a distal end 350 to conform to the outside surface of mold 320. Any gas, such as air, may be conveyed, as indicated by an arrow 360, into an open proximal end 370 of polymeric tube 300. A liquid may also be conveyed into the open proximal end 370 to provide pressure on the inside of the tube. The gas or liquid can be heated to a temperature sufficient to deform the polymeric tube. This temperature can be above the glass transition temperature of the polymer. The pressure of the gas is selected to sufficiently expand the polymeric tube to conform to the inside surface of cylindrical mold 320. Polymeric tube 300 may be heated by the gas or liquid to a temperature above ambient temperature, for example above Tg of the polymer. Alternatively, heat may be applied to the exterior of cylindrical mold 320. The conveyed gas combined with the applied heat may act to radially expand polymeric tube 300, as indicated by an arrow 380.
As mentioned previously, selected portions of the stent using blow molding may be formed to have greater or lesser mass relative to other portions of the stent. For example, high strain regions may be made up of more polymeric mass relative to other portions of the stent. Similarly, lower strain regions that require flexibility may be of a lesser mass.
In one embodiment, as depicted in
In one embodiment, the polymeric tube may be heated such that the temperature of the polymeric tube is greater than or equal to Tg and less than Tm of the polymer. Heating above Tg facilitates expansion, since a polymer becomes more flexible above Tg.
After the polymeric tube is radially expanded by blow molding the tube, it may be desirable to cool the radially expanded tube below the Tg of the polymer to retain induced molecular orientation. Some embodiments may include cooling the deformed tube prior to fabrication of the medical device. The deformed tube may be cooled at a temperature below an ambient temperature to below the Tg of the polymer. Alternatively, cooling the deformed polymer tube may include cooling the deformed polymer tube at a temperature at or near an ambient temperature to below the Tg of the polymer.
After the polymeric tube is radially expanded by blow molding the tube, the tube may be laser cut to form a stent. A stent may be fabricated by use of a laser beam collimated to a 1 to 10 mm beam diameter. The tube is then cut by focusing a beam, such as a 0.5 to 2 mm wide beam, on the polymeric tube. A stent pattern may then be cut into the tube by moving the tube in an axial and rotary direction with respect to the cutting beam or by moving the beam.
The process of cutting a pattern for the stent into the tube is automated except for loading and unloading the length of tube 800. Referring again to
Machining a fine structure also requires the ability to manipulate the tube with precision. CNC equipment manufactured and sold by Anorad Corporation in Hauppauge, N.Y. may be used for positioning the tube. In addition, a unique rotary mechanism may be used that allows the computer program to be written as if the pattern were being machined from a flat sheet, allowing utilization of both circular and linear interpolation in programming. Thus, the axial and rotary motion may be controlled by a CNC system. A CNC controlled axis may also control the focus position on the polymeric tube. After indexing the CNC system to a specific position on tube, the system traces the pattern in the x, y, z coordinate system. Since the finished structure of the stent is very small, a precision drive mechanism is required that supports and drives both ends of the tubular structure as it is cut. Since both ends are driven, they are preferably aligned and precisely synchronized. Otherwise, as the stent is being cut, the stent may twist and distort.
The stent produces stents with a fine precision structure cut from a small diameter thin-walled cylindrical tube. Cutting a fine structure around features on a stent surface created by the present invention (e.g., a 0.0035 inch strut width (0.889 mm)) requires precise laser focusing and minimal heat input. To satisfy these requirements, a laser technology adapted to micro-machine the tube may be implemented according to the present embodiments.
Additionally,
a) depicts a close-up axial view of the region where the laser beam interacts with the substrate target material. A laser beam 900 is focused by a focusing lens 910 on a tube 920 is supported by a CNC controlled rotary collet 930 at one end and a tube support pin 940 at another end.
As shown by
It may also be necessary to block laser beam 980 as it cuts through the top surface of the tube to prevent the beam, along with the molten material and debris from the cut, from impinging on the inside opposite surface of tube 990. To this end, a mandrel 992 (e.g., approx. 0.034 inch diameter (0.864 mm)) supported by a mandrel beam block 995 is placed inside the tube and is allowed to roll on the bottom of the tube 985 as the pattern is cut, which acts as a beam/debris block protecting the far wall inner diameter. A close-up end view along mandrel beam block 995 shows laser beam 980 impinging on tube 985 in
Hence, the laser enables the machining of narrow kerf widths to circumvent the features formed on the stent surface, while minimizing the heat input into the material. In this way, smooth, narrow cuts in a tube with very fine geometries are made without damaging the narrow struts that define the stent structure.
The stent can be made partially or completely from a biodegradable, bioabsorbable, or biostable polymer. Biostable refers to polymers that are not biodegradable. The terms biodegradable, bioabsorbable, and bioerodable are used interchangeably and refer to polymers that are capable of being completely degraded and/or eroded when exposed to bodily fluids such as blood and can be gradually resorbed, absorbed and/or eliminated by the body. The processes of breaking down and eventual absorption and elimination of the polymer can be caused by, for example, hydrolysis, metabolic processes, bulk or surface erosion, and the like. For stents made from a biodegradable polymer, the stent is intended to remain in the body for a duration of time until its intended function is accomplished.
Representative examples of polymers that may be used to fabricate a stent using the methods disclosed herein include poly(N-acetylglucosamine) (Chitin), Chitoson, poly(hydroxyvalerate), poly(lactide-co-glycolide), poly(hydroxybutyrate), poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-valerate), polyorthoester, polyanhydride, poly(glycolic acid), poly(D,L-lactic acid), poly(glycolic acid-co-trimethylene carbonate), poly(trimethylene carbonate), co-poly(ether-esters) (e.g. PEO/PLA), polyphosphazenes, biomolecules (such as fibrin, fibrinogen, cellulose, starch, collagen and hyaluronic acid), polyurethanes, silicones, polyesters, polyolefins, polyisobutylene and ethylene-alphaolefin copolymers, acrylic polymers and copolymers other than polyacrylates, vinyl halide polymers and copolymers (such as polyvinyl chloride), polyvinyl ethers (such as polyvinyl methyl ether), polyvinylidene halides (such as polyvinylidene chloride), polyacrylonitrile, polyvinyl ketones, polyvinyl aromatics (such as polystyrene), polyvinyl esters (such as polyvinyl acetate), acrylonitrile-styrene copolymers, ABS resins, polyamides (such as Nylon 66 and polycaprolactam), polycarbonates, polyoxymethylenes, polyimides, polyethers, polyurethanes, rayon, rayon-triacetate, cellulose, cellulose acetate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellophane, cellulose nitrate, cellulose propionate, cellulose ethers, and carboxymethyl cellulose. Additional representative examples of polymers that may be especially well suited for use in fabricating a stent according to the methods disclosed herein include ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (commonly known by the generic name EVOH or by the trade name EVAL), poly(butyl methacrylate), poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluororpropene) (e.g., SOLEF 21508, available from Solvay Solexis PVDF, Thorofare, N.J.), polyvinylidene fluoride (otherwise known as KYNAR, available from ATOFINA Chemicals, Philadelphia, Pa.), poly(L-lactic acid), poly(caprolactone), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, and polyethylene glycol.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
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