Bioresorbable vascular implant having homogenously distributed stresses under a radial load

1. A bioresorbable vascular implant having a tubular framework and being for implantation in a bodily lumen, said vascular implant comprising:

one or more annular support members, each of said one or more annular support members including a plurality of struts interconnected by a hinge region having a width, each of said plurality of struts including a mid-section having a width;

wherein said vascular implant is comprised of at least one viscoelastic material that enables transition of said vascular implant between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, each of said plurality of struts and said hinge region defining a cross-section;

wherein the moment of inertia increases from each said mid-section towards each said hinge region to accommodate said transition and resist a radial load applied to said vascular implant in the expanded configuration;

wherein the width of each of said plurality of struts tapers substantially continuously from each said hinge region to each said mid-section; and

wherein stresses between said mid-section of said plurality of struts and said hinge region are evenly distributed under application of the radial load to said vascular implant in the expanded configuration.

2. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 1 , wherein said vascular implant is a scaffold.

3. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 1 , wherein said vascular implant is a stent.

4. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 1 , wherein the cross-section defines a width.

5. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 1 further comprising at least one cross-strut intersecting said one or more annular support members.

6. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 5 , wherein the width of said at least one cross-strut is less than the width of said hinge region.

7. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 5 , wherein said at least one cross-strut breaks in less than about 90 days due to degradation of the viscoelastic material comprising said at least one cross-strut following implantation of said vascular implant in the bodily lumen.

8. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 1 , wherein said viscoelastic material comprises a thermoplastic polymer.

9. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 8 , wherein the glass transition temperature of said thermoplastic polymer is at least about 37° C.

10. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 9 , wherein said thermoplastic polymer is a polylactic acid (PLA) polymer.

11. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 10 , wherein said PLA polymer is poly-DL-lactic acid.

12. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 1 , wherein the width of each said hinge portion is about 250 μm or greater, and the width of each said mid-section is about 150 μm or greater.

13. The bioresorbable vascular implant of claim 12 , wherein the width of each said hinge portion is about 300 μm, and the width of each said mid-section is about 160 μm.

14. A bioresorbable vascular implant having a tubular framework and being for implantation in a bodily lumen, said vascular implant comprising:

one or more annular support members, each of said one or more annular support members including a plurality of struts interconnected by a hinge region having a width, each of said plurality of struts including a mid-section having a width; and

at least one cross-strut intersecting said one or more annular support members;

wherein said vascular implant is comprised of at least one viscoelastic material that enables transition of said vascular implant between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, each of said plurality of struts and said hinge region defining a cross-section;

wherein the moment of inertia increases from each said mid-section towards each said hinge region to accommodate said transition and resist a radial load applied to said vascular implant in the expanded configuration;

wherein the width of each of said plurality of struts tapers substantially continuously from each said hinge region to each said mid-section;

wherein stresses between said mid-section of said plurality of struts and said hinge region are evenly distributed under application of the radial load to said vascular implant in the expanded configuration; and

wherein said at least one cross-strut breaks in less than about 90 days due to degradation of the viscoelastic material comprising said at least one cross-strut following implantation of said vascular implant in the bodily lumen.

15. A bioresorbable vascular implant having a tubular framework and being for implantation in a bodily lumen, said vascular implant comprising:

one or more annular support members, each of said one or more annular support members including a plurality of struts interconnected by a hinge region having a width, each of said plurality of struts including a mid-section having a width;

wherein said vascular implant is comprised of at least one viscoelastic material that enables transition of said vascular implant between a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, each of said plurality of struts and said hinge region defining a cross-section;

wherein the moment of inertia increases from each said mid-section towards each said hinge region to accommodate said transition and resist a radial load applied to said vascular implant in the expanded configuration;

wherein the width of each of said plurality of struts tapers substantially continuously from each said hinge region to each said mid-section;

wherein stresses between said mid-section of said plurality of struts and said hinge region are evenly distributed under application of the radial load to said vascular implant in the expanded configuration; and

wherein the vascular implant is configured for use in an angioplasty procedure.