Custom-length stent delivery system with independently operable expansion elements

• US 20060229700A1
• Filed: 04/11/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JW Medical Systems Ltd
• Original Assignee: XTENT, Inc.
• Inventors: Acosta, Pablo, Sanderson, David
• Granted Patent: US 7,402,168 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.110
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/91 made from perforated sheet material or tubes, e.g. perforated by laser cuts or etched holes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/915 with bands having a meander structure, adjacent bands being connected to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/97 the outer sleeve being splittable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/826 more than one stent being applied sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/91541 Adjacent bands are arranged out of phase
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/1011 Multiple balloon catheters

Abstract

A stent delivery system for delivering a plurality of stent segments to at least one treatment site includes a catheter shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, a plurality of expandable members arranged axially along the catheter shaft near the distal end, a plurality of stent segments, and a selecting mechanism adapted for selecting one or more expandable members for expansion. Each expandable member is expandable independently of at least one other expandable member, and each expandable member has at least one stent segment positioned on it. One or more of the expandable members may be selectively expanded to deploy the one or more stent segments positioned thereon at the treatment site.

Claims

2-1. A system as in claim 1 wherein each stent segment is crimped onto one of the expandable members so as to not be axially slidable along the expandable members.

18. A stent delivery system for delivering a plurality of stent segments to at least one treatment site, the system comprising:

a catheter shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;

a plurality of expandable members arranged axially along the catheter shaft near the distal end, each expandable member being expandable independently of at least one other expandable member;

a plurality of stent segments, each expandable member having at least one stent segment positioned thereon; and

at least a first isolating member movably associated with the catheter shaft for selecting one or more expandable members for expansion, wherein one or more of the expandable members may be selectively expanded to deploy the one or more stent segments positioned thereon at the treatment site.

19. A system as in claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of expandable members and each of the plurality of stent segments is spaced apart from adjacent expandable members and stent segments, so that each stent segment can be expanded by each expandable member without interfering with adjacent stent segments.

20. A system as in claim 19, wherein each stent segment is not axially slidable along the expandable members.

21. A system as in claim 19, wherein each stent segment is axially slidable along the expandable members.

22. A system as in claim 18, further comprising:

an inflation lumen in the catheter shaft; and

a plurality of apertures in communication with the inflation lumen, each aperture being further in communication with at least one of the expandable members.

23. A system as in claim 22, wherein the first isolating member is movably disposed in the catheter shaft for isolating at least a first of the apertures from at least one other of the apertures.

24. A system as in claim 23, wherein the isolating member comprises a first axially slidable seal.

25. A system as in claim 24, wherein the first axially slidable seal is coupled at or near a distal end of a first slidable shaft slidably coupled to the catheter shaft.

26. A system as in claim 25, wherein the catheter shaft has an inflation lumen therein, the first slidable shaft being disposed within the inflation lumen.

27. A system as in claim 24, further including a second isolating member for isolating a second aperture from at least one other aperture.

28. A system as in claim 27, wherein the second isolating member comprises a second axially slidable seal.

29. A system as in claim 28, wherein the second axially slidable seal is coupled to a second shaft slidably coupled to the catheter shaft.

30. A system as in claim 29, wherein the first shaft defines a first lumen and the second shaft is slidably disposed within the lumen.

31. A system as in claim 30, wherein a space between the first and second slidable tubular shafts defines an inflation lumen.

32. A system as in claim 18, further including at least a first axially movable sheath disposed over at least the expandable members and the stent segments.

33. A system as in claim 32, further including at least a second axially movable sheath disposed over part of the catheter shaft, the expandable members and the stent segments, wherein the first sheath is disposed proximally along the catheter shaft relative to the second sheath, and wherein the first and second sheaths are adapted to allow one or more selected stent segments to be deployed between the sheaths.

34. A system as in claim 33, wherein the second sheath is movable distally to allow for deployment of at least one stent segment and proximally to cover one or more of the expandable members from which at least one stent segment has been deployed.

35. A system as in claim 32, further including a pusher tube slidably disposed within the sheath and proximal to a proximal-most stent segment to advance or maintain an axial position of the stent segments relative to the expandable members.

36. A method for delivering a plurality of stent segments to at least one treatment site, the method comprising:

positioning a distal portion of a stent delivery catheter device at a first treatment site, the stent delivery catheter having a plurality of expandable members positioned thereto, each of the expandable members having one or more stent segments positioned thereon;

selecting one or more first expandable members for expansion; and

expanding only the one or more first expandable members to deploy at least a first stent segment at the first treatment site, while at least a second expandable member and at least a second stent segment on the stent delivery catheter remain unexpanded.

37. A method as in claim 36, wherein expanding only the one or more first expandable members comprises expanding two or more of the expandable members to deploy at least two of the stent segments.

38. A method as in claim 36, further comprising, after the step of expanding only the one or more first expandable members, expanding the second expandable member(s) to deploy the second stent segment(s).

39. A method as in claim 38, further comprising positioning the distal portion of the stent delivery catheter device at a second treatment site before expanding the second expandable member(s).

40. A method as in claim 36, further comprising, after the step of expanding the one or more first expandable members:

axially repositioning the second stent segment from the second expandable member to a distal expandable member selected from the one or more first expandable members; and

expanding the distal expandable member to deploy the second stent segment.

41. A method as in claim 40, further comprising positioning the distal portion of the stent delivery catheter device at a second treatment site before expanding the second expandable member.

42. A method as in claim 40, wherein the second stent segment is repositioned by an axially movable pusher in the stent delivery catheter device.

43. A method as in claim 38, further comprising:

selecting at least a third expandable member; and

expanding the third expandable member to deploy a third stent segment.

44. A method as in claim 43, further comprising positioning the distal portion of the stent delivery catheter device at a third treatment site before expanding the third expandable member.

45. A method as in claim 36, wherein selecting the first expandable member(s) comprises axially moving at least a first sealing member to seal off one or more first inflation apertures communicating with the first expandable member(s) from at least a second inflation aperture communicating with the second expandable member(s).

46. A method as in claim 45, wherein axially moving the first sealing member comprises sliding a tubular shaft over an inner shaft.

47. A method as in claim 46, wherein expanding comprises introducing an inflation medium into the first expandable member(s) through an inflation lumen between the tubular shaft and the inner shaft.

48. A method as in claim 45, further comprising:

axially moving the first sealing member to seal off the second inflation aperture(s) from at least a third inflation aperture communicating with one or more third expandable members;

axially moving a second sealing member to seal off at least one of the first inflation apertures from the second inflation aperture(s); and

expanding only the second expandable member(s) to deploy the second stent segment(s).

49. A method as in claim 45, wherein the first sealing member is coupled to a first shaft, the second sealing member is coupled to a second shaft, and axially moving the first and second sealing members comprises sliding the second shaft relative to the first shaft.

50. A method as in claim 49, wherein the first shaft is tubular and the second shaft is slidably disposed through the first shaft.

51. A method as in claim 50, wherein expanding comprises introducing an inflation medium into the second expandable member(s) through an inflation lumen between the first and second shafts.

52. A method as in claim 36, further comprising axially moving a first sheath disposed over the expandable members and the plurality of stent segments, before the expanding step, to expose the first expandable member(s) and stent segment(s) while covering the second expandable member(s) and second stent segment(s).

53. A method as in claim 52, further comprising:

contracting the first expandable member(s);

moving the first sheath to cover the first expandable member(s);

advancing the second stent segment(s) to be positioned on the first expandable member(s);

moving the first sheath to expose the second expandable member(s); and

expanding the second expandable member(s) to deploy at least the second stent segment(s).

54. A method as in claim 36, further comprising positioning the distal portion of the stent delivery catheter device at a second treatment site before expanding the second expandable member(s).

55. A method as in claim 52, further comprising:

deflating the first expandable member(s);

moving a second sheath to cover the first expandable member(s);

moving the first sheath to expose the second expandable member(s) and the second stent segment(s); and

expanding the second expandable member(s) to deploy the second stent segment(s) while the first expandable member(s) remain covered by the second sheath.

56. A method as in claim 55, further comprising positioning the distal portion of the stent delivery catheter device at a second treatment site before expanding the second expandable member(s).