Polymer covered stents have demonstrated promising clinical outcomes with improved patency rates compared to traditional bare-metal stents, however little is known on the mechanical implication of stent covering. In the present work, a combined experimental-computational investigation was carried out to determine the role of a polymeric cover on the biomechanical performance of self-expanding laser-cut stents. Experimental bench top tests were conducted on bare and covered versions of a commercial stent to evaluate the radial, axial and bending response. In parallel, a computational framework with a novel covering strategy was developed that accurately predicts stent mechanical performance, and provides further insight into covered stent mechanics by considering different stent geometries and polymer materials. Results show that stent covering causes increased initial axial stiffness and substantial radial stiffening at small crimp diameters as the cover folds and self-contacts. It was also shown that use of a stiffer polymeric covering material caused significant alterations to the radial and axial response, highlighting the importance of considering the mechanical properties of the combined cover and stent.
Fontan fenestration and the role of the covered stent
