An improved guiding member for use within a body lumen having a unique combination of superelastic characteristics. The superelastic alloy material has a composition consisting of about 30% to about 52% (atomic) titanium, and about 38% to 52% nickel and may have one or more elements selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, platinum, palladium, vanadium, copper, zirconium, hafnium and niobium. The alloy material is subjected to thermomechanical processing which includes a final cold working of about 10 to about 75% and then a heat treatment at a temperature between about 450° and about 600° C. and preferably about 475° to about 550° C. Before the heat treatment the cold worked alloy material is preferably subjected to mechanical straightening. The alloy material is preferably subjected to stresses equal to about 5 to about 50% of the room temperature ultimate yield stress of the material during the thermal treatment. The guiding member using such improved material exhibits a stress-induced austenite-to-martensite phase transformation at an exceptionally high constant yield strength of over 90 ksi for solid members and over 70 ksi for tubular members with a broad recoverable strain of at least about 4% during the phase transformation. An essentially whip free product is obtained.

Superelastic guiding member

A bone anchoring element includes a shaft for anchoring in a bone, the shaft having a tubular body. The shaft comprises a plurality of barb elements, wherein each barb element is formed as continuous one-piece part with the tubular body. Each each barb element is moveable between a first position adjacent to the tubular body and a second position further from the tubular body than the first position. The barb elements are arranged along at least one helical line around an axis of the shaft.

Bone anchoring element

Medical devices, such as stents, and methods of making the devices are disclosed. In some embodiments, a medical device includes an alloy having tantalum, tungsten, zirconium and niobium. For example, the alloy can include from about 20% to about 40% by weight of tantalum, from about 0.5% to about 9% by weight of tungsten, and from about 0.5% to about 10% by weight of zirconium.

Medical devices and methods of making the same

An implantable endoluminal device which is fabricated from materials which present a blood or body fluid and tissue contact surface which has controlled heterogeneities in material constitution. An endoluminal stent which is made of a material having controlled heterogeneities in the stent material along the blood flow surface of the stent and the method of fabricating the stent using vacuum deposition methods.

Endoluminal device exhibiting improved endothelialization and method of manufacture thereof

Stent mounting assembly and a method of using the same to coat a stent

A nickel-free beta-titanium alloy containing, in weight percent, between 10.0 and 12.0 percent molybdenum, between 2.8 and 4.0 percent aluminum, between 0.0 and 2.0 percent chromium and vanadium and between 0.0 and 4.0 percent niobium. This alloy possesses pseudo-elastic properties associated with stress-induced martensitic transformation and is suitable for medical uses.

Pseudoelastic beta titanium alloy and uses therefor

Fabrication of metal medical instruments and devices from a shape memory alloy which provides greater flexibility in design and avoids the need for substantial cold working of the alloy which is required in other methods. The new process provides a ductile alloy for ease of forming and a unique heat treatment which renders the fabricated orthodontic and medical components highly elastic, with a high resistance to kinking and with good corrosion resistance. In addition, this new process produces orthodontic and medical components useful over the temperature range of from −20 to +40 degrees C.

Medical instruments and devices and parts thereof using shape memory alloys

A new eyeglass frame, eyeglass frame component and method for making eyeglass frames or parts thereof of a nickel-free titanium based SMA. A pseudoelastic β titanium alloy is used which has superior fabricating characteristics combined with weldability with pseudoelastic properties over the temperature range of −25° C. to 50° C. making this alloy ideally suited for the manufacture of various eyeglass components. The disclosed eyeglass component alloy is a β titanium alloy contains alloying elements of molybdenum between 10.0 and 12.0 weight percent, aluminum between 2.8 and 4.0 weight percent, chromium and vanadium between 0.0 and 2.0 weight percent, and niobium between 0.0 and 4.0 weight percent. The eyeglass components fabricated from this alloy exhibit a strain recovery of up to 3.5% deformation, a lower stiffness than conventional binary nickel titanium alloys yielding superior wearer comfort.

L. Mcdonald Schetky

Papers

Pseudoelastic beta titanium alloy and uses therefor

Medical instruments and devices and parts thereof using shape memory alloys

Pseudoelastic β titanium eyeglass components