Stent delivery system

• US 20030033000A1
• Filed: 08/09/2001
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: DiCaprio, Fernando, Taylor, Kyle P., Seppala, Jan D.
• Granted Patent: US 6,726,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9583 Means for holding the stent on the balloon, e.g. using protrusions, adhesives or an outer sleeve

Abstract

This invention relates to catheters used for delivering medical devices. The catheter incorporates sleeves which aid in containing the medical device on the catheter, wherein the sleeves have portions comprising high modulus material to aid in the function of the sleeves.

Claims

1. A catheter system comprising:

a catheter comprising an expandable distal portion constructed and arranged for expanding the outer diameter of said catheter from a contracted state to an expanded state;

a first sleeve in the region of said distal portion of said catheter and positioned around said catheter, having a first end connected to said catheter, and a second end; and

a first band bonded to the first sleeve, wherein a portion of the first sleeve is positioned between the first band and the expandable distal portion of the catheter.

2. The catheter system of claim 1, further comprising a stent positioned around said distal portion of said catheter, said stent having a contracted condition and being expandable to an expanded condition, and being sized in said contracted condition to closely surround said catheter in the contracted state, said stent having at least an end portion lying over said expandable portion of said catheter, the second end of the first sleeve lying over said end portion of said stent.

3. The catheter system of claim 2 wherein said expansible distal portion comprises a balloon having at least one cone portion mounted on a shaft of the catheter and wherein the first band is positioned over the cone portion when the balloon is in its contracted state.

4. The catheter system of claim 3 wherein said stent is expanded by expansion of said balloon.

5. The catheter system of claim 3, said first sleeve being formed from polyurethane.

6. The catheter system of claim 3, said first sleeve being formed from any elastomer able to be expanded with a balloon angioplasty catheter, and formable into a thin-walled tube.

7. The catheter system of claim 3, wherein the first band comprises a high modulus material relative to the first sleeve material.

8. The catheter system of claim 3, wherein the first band comprises a metal.

9. The catheter system of claim 7, further comprising a second band bonded to the first sleeve over the cone portion of the balloon, positioned between the first sleeve and the balloon, wherein the second band comprises a high modulus material relative to the first sleeve material.

10. The catheter system of claim 9, said bands being formed in the shape of a coil.

11. The catheter system of claim 3, wherein the first band is fully embedded with the first sleeve over the cone of the balloon.

12. The catheter system of claim 3 wherein the first sleeve comprises a material selected from the group consisting of urethanes, styrenics, silicones, natural rubbers, nylons, latex, polyether amides and polyolefin copolymers, and wherein the first sleeve material has a Shore D scale hardness of 70A-55D.

13. The catheter system of claim 3 wherein the first band comprises a high modulus material having a Shore D scale hardness of equal to or greater than 55.

14. The catheter system of claim 11 wherein the first band comprises a high modulus material having a Shore D scale hardness of equal to or greater than 55.

15. The catheter system of claim 3, wherein said first sleeve covering said end of said stent on said catheter when said catheter is in the contracted state, said catheter and stent cooperatively constructed and arranged for expansion of said catheter from said contracted state to said expanded state and to cause said first sleeve and first band to recede relatively axially, drawing said first sleeve from over said stent, thereby releasing said end of the stent from said catheter.

16. The catheter system of claim 3 further comprising:

a second sleeve in the region of said distal portion of said catheter and positioned around said catheter, having a first end connected to said catheter, and a second end lying over an end portion of said stent, the second sleeve opposingly situated relative to the first sleeve; and

a second band bonded to the sleeve, wherein a portion of the second sleeve is positioned between the second band and the expandable distal portion of the catheter,

wherein the second band comprises a high modulus material relative to the second sleeve material and said second sleeve covering said end of said stent on said catheter when said catheter is in the contracted state, said catheter and stent cooperatively constructed and arranged for expansion of said catheter from said contracted state to said expanded state and to cause said second sleeve and second band to recede relatively axially, drawing said second sleeve from over said stent, thereby releasing said end of the stent from said catheter.

17. A catheter system comprising:

a catheter comprising an expandable distal portion constructed and arranged for expanding the outer diameter of said catheter from a contracted state to an expanded state, said expandable distal portion being a balloon having at least one cone portion;

a first sleeve in the region of said distal portion of said catheter and positioned around said catheter, having a first end gripped to said catheter, and a second end, said first sleeve comprising a first member and a second member, said members both having first and second ends, the first sleeve further comprising a first band of high modulus material relative to the members, wherein the first end of the first member is gripped to the catheter and the second end of the first member connected to the first band and wherein the first end of the second member is connected to the first band.

18. The catheter system of claim 17, further comprising a stent positioned around said distal portion of said catheter, said stent having a contracted condition and being expandable to an expanded condition, and being sized in said contracted condition to closely surround said catheter in the contracted state, said stent having at least an end portion lying over said expandable portion of said catheter, wherein the second end of the second member extends over an end of the stent.

19. The catheter system of claim 18 further comprising a second sleeve in the region of said distal portion of said catheter and positioned around said catheter, the second sleeve being opposingly situated relative to the first sleeve and having a first end gripped to said catheter, and a second end lying over a second end portion of said stent, said second sleeve comprising a first member and a second member, said members both having first and second ends, the second sleeve further comprising a first band of high modulus material relative to the members, wherein the first end of the first member is gripped to the catheter and the second end of the first member connected to the first band and wherein the first end of the second member is connected to the first band and the second end of the second member extends over an end of the stent.

20. The catheter system of claim 19, wherein the first bands comprise a high modulus material having a Shore D scale hardness of equal to or greater than 55.

21. A catheter system comprising:

a catheter comprising an expandable distal portion constructed and arranged for expanding the outer diameter of said catheter from a contracted state to an expanded state, said expandable distal portion being a balloon having at least one cone portion;

a first sleeve in the region of said distal portion of said catheter and positioned around said catheter, the first sleeve having a first end connected to said catheter and a second end, said first sleeve comprising a first sleeve member and a second sleeve member in physical engagement which one another, said sleeve members both having first and second ends, wherein the first sleeve member comprises a high modulus material relative to the material of the second sleeve member.

22. The catheter system of claim 21, further comprising a stent positioned around said distal portion of said catheter, said stent having a contracted condition and being expandable to an expanded condition, and being sized in said contracted condition to closely surround said catheter in the contracted state, said stent having a first end portion and a second end portion, said second end of the first sleeve lying over said end portion of said stent.

23. The catheter system of claim 22, wherein the first sleeve member comprises a high modulus material having a Shore D scale hardness of equal to or greater than 55.

24. The catheter system of claim 23, wherein the second sleeve member comprises a material selected from the group consisting of urethanes, styrenics, silicones, natural rubbers, nylons, latex, polyether amides and polyolefin copolymers, and wherein the second sleeve member material has a Shore D scale hardness of 70A-55D.

25. The catheter system of claim 22, wherein the first end of the first sleeve member is connected to the catheter and the second end of the first sleeve member extends over the cone of the balloon and wherein the second end of the second sleeve member extends over an end of the stent.

26. The catheter system of claim 22, wherein the second end of the first sleeve member is connected to the first end of the second sleeve member in an abutting manner.

27. The catheter system of claim 22, wherein the first end of the first sleeve member and the first end of the second sleeve member are physically engaged.

28. The catheter system of claim of claim 22, wherein a portion of the first sleeve member overlaps the second sleeve member.

29. The catheter system of claim of claim 22, wherein a portion of the second sleeve member overlaps the first sleeve member.

30. The catheter system of claim 22, wherein the first end of the second sleeve member is over the cone of the balloon and wherein the first end of the first sleeve member and the second end of the second sleeve member are physically engaged and an overlapping fashion.

31. The catheter system of claim of claim 30, wherein the first sleeve member overlaps the second sleeve member.

32. The catheter system of claim of claim 30, wherein the second sleeve member overlaps the first sleeve member.

33. The catheter system of claim 22, further comprising a second sleeve in the region of said distal portion of said catheter and positioned around said catheter, opposingly situated relative to the first sleeve, the second sleeve having a first end connected to said catheter and a second end lying over said end portion of said stent, said second sleeve comprising a first sleeve member and a second sleeve member in physical engagement which one another, said sleeve members both having first and second ends, wherein the first sleeve member comprises a high modulus material relative to the material of the second sleeve member.

34. The catheter system of claim 23, wherein the first sleeve member comprises a high modulus material having a Shore D scale hardness of equal to or greater than 55.

35. The catheter system of claim 34, wherein the second sleeve member comprises a material selected from the group consisting of urethanes, styrenics, silicones, natural rubbers, nylons, latex, polyether amides and polyolefin copolymers, and wherein the second sleeve member material has a Shore D scale hardness of 70A-55D.