| abstract |
A biodegradable polymeric stent having a programmed degradation pattern in living organisms, said stent comprising: a substantially cylindrical element (12, 112, 212, 312) having two open ends and comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced regions around said element cylindrical, each region of said plurality of regions extending from one open end to the other open end of said cylindrical element, each region of said plurality of regions that is configured to have a time devoted to predetermined living organisms, wherein: a first region ( 42, 142, 242, 342) of said plurality of regions has a first life time in living organisms; and a second region (44) of said plurality of regions has a second life time in living organisms; the first life time in living organisms of said first region that is shorter than the second time spent in living organisms of said second region so that a fissure is formed that extends from an open end to the other open end of said cylindrical element in said first region during the first time of life in living organisms following the deployment of the stent in a patient's vessel. |