Double sheath deployment system

• US 20050283223A1
• Filed: 08/12/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Greenan, Trevor
• Granted Patent: US 7,717,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9517 handle assemblies therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/903 Blood vessel

Abstract

A stent-graft deployment system (10) includes a stent-graft (15), a flexible catheter tip (12) attached to a catheter shaft (25), a retractable primary sheath (20) containing the stent-graft in a first constrained small diameter configuration around the catheter shaft near the flexible tip. The stent-graft deployment system further includes a flexible secondary sheath (14) disposed within the retractable primary sheath and also containing the stent-graft, wherein when the primary sheath is removed from around the stent-graft, the flexible secondary sheath contains the stent-graft in a second constrained small diameter configuration around the catheter shaft near the flexible tip. The removal of the secondary sheath releases the stent-graft from a radial constraint so that stent-graft deployment may proceed.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A method of deploying a stent-graft using a stent-graft deployment system having a retractable primary sheath and a secondary sheath within the primary sheath, comprises the steps of:

providing the stent-graft deployment system with a stent-graft;

tracking the stent-graft deployment system over a guide wire to a location before a target area, wherein the target area may include a curved portion;

retracting the primary sheath to expose the secondary sheath containing the stent graft;

moving the secondary sheath containing the stent-graft to a location within the target area; and

retracting the secondary sheath to at least partially deploy the stent-graft in the target area.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein retracting the secondary sheath occurs by pulling a proximal end of said secondary sheath.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the step of introducing the stent-graft deployment system into a femoral artery and advancing the stent-graft deployment system through an iliac artery into the aorta.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of further tracking the stent-graft deployment system comprises the step of tracking the stent-graft deployment system through a portion of an thoracic arch when the secondary sheath has been exposed after the retraction of the primary sheath.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the steps of tracking and further tracking are achieved without kinking of the primary sheath.

25. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of releasing the stent-graft from the delivery system using a release mechanism, which pulls the proximal end of the secondary sheath.