IMPLANT DELIVERY DEVICE

• US 20100280596A1
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Feeser, Jörg, Dorn, Jürgen
• Granted Patent: US 8,092,509 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.23
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/041 Bile ducts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0098 radio-opaque, e.g. radio-opaque markers

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for delivering self-expanding stents to stenting sites within the body, which minimizes trauma to the affected tissue of the patient yet, at the same time, offers the medical practitioner a robust and simple system for stent placement. These technical effects are achieved by providing a catheter which receives the stent at its proximal end and guides it to the stenting site. The catheter serves as a guide catheter and has a tapered distal tip from which the stent emerges at the site of stenting. A stent pusher can be used which abuts the proximal end of the stent inside the guide catheter. The tapered tip can be molded and can be integral with the catheter shaft or bonded to it. The guide catheter can include a figurated portion towards its distal tip. The system has particular application to stenting the carotid artery.

Claims

1. A stent delivery system, comprising:

an outer sheath for insertion into a body defining a lumen and including a proximal end, a distal end, and a distal tip zone at a distal end of the system, the distal tip zone being contiguous with and affixed to the distal end of the sheath, the distal tip zone tapering radially inwardly and including a stretch zone; and

an inner shaft being at least partially disposed in the lumen and including a marker band initially disposed within the lumen, wherein an outside diameter of the inner shaft distal the marker band is less than an outside diameter of the inner shaft proximal the marker band,

wherein the distal tip zone is configured and attached to the distal end of the sheath such that proximally withdrawing the distal end of the sheath over a stent proximally withdraws the distal tip zone over the stent.

2. The stent delivery system according to claim 1, wherein the outer sheath includes a marker band disposed over the distal end of the sheath adjacent a proximal end of the distal tip zone.

3. The stent delivery system according to claim 2, wherein the inner shaft includes a distal marker band disposed distal of the marker band at an initial axial location corresponding to the outer sheath marker band.

4. A stent delivery system, comprising:

an outer sheath for insertion into a body defining a lumen and including a proximal end, a distal end, and a distal tip zone at a distal end of the system, the distal tip zone being contiguous with and affixed to the distal end of the sheath, the distal tip zone tapering radially inwardly and including a stretch zone; and

an inner shaft being at least partially disposed in the lumen and including a marker band, wherein an outside diameter of the inner shaft distal the marker band is generally constant along its length and is less than an outside diameter of the inner shaft proximal the marker band,

wherein the distal tip zone is configured and attached to the distal end of the sheath such that distally advancing a stent past the distal end of the sheath proximally withdraws the distal tip zone over the stent.

5. The stent delivery system according to claim 4, wherein the outer sheath includes a marker band disposed over the distal end of the sheath adjacent a proximal end of the distal tip zone.

6. The stent delivery system according to claim 5, wherein the inner shaft includes a distal marker band disposed distal of the marker band at an initial axial location corresponding to the outer sheath marker band.