| abstract |
A stent is adapted to be implanted in a side branch at a bifurcation from a main blood vessel in a patient's body, wherein the bifurcation from the main vessel is skewed, the stent having open ends, of which one is angled at a skew to the longitudinal axis of the stent to match the angulation of the side branch, whereby to afford substantially complete coverage of the inner wall of the side branch at the bifurcation, when the stent is implanted. The angle of the skew is about 45°, which gives the stent a short side and a long side connected together in a plane along the wall of the stent at that end end; and the other end of the stent is at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the stent. At least one of the short side and the long side has a viewable marker to facilitate proper orientation of the stent during implant thereof. A drug-eluting coating is provided on the surface of the stent to inhibit restenosis of the side branch when the stent is implanted therein. |