METHOD FOR COLD LOADING AN ARTICLES

• US 20120324713A1
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Machine Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Machine Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Sokel, Justin, Reiss, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,484,822 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/559
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9522 Means for mounting a stent or stent-graft onto or into a placement instrument
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49865 by temperature differential [e.g., shrink fit]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49908 Joining by deforming
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49913 by constricting outer annulus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49925 Inward deformation of aperture or hollow body wall
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49927 Hollow body is axially joined cup or tube
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49998 Work holding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53987 Tube, sleeve or ferrule
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53996 by deforming

Abstract

A method of loading an article, such as a self-expanding stent, into a structure, such as a delivery catheter, including the steps of chilling the article to a predetermined temperature, reducing article size a predetermined amount, inserting fluid into the article, whereby the fluid forms a substantially solid plug with respect to the article, and moving the frozen article. Also provided is an apparatus for loading an article into a structure including: an article size reduction element, a chiller connected to the size reduction element, a cold source communicatively connected to the chiller, and a fluid supply communicatively connected to the size reduction element.

Claims

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23. A method of loading a stent having a tubular body and a central lumen, into a deployment catheter, comprising the steps of:

a. compressing the stent to a diameter less than the diameter of the lumen of the deployment catheter;

b. applying a support matrix to the stent by cooling the stent to a predetermined cold temperature and applying a fluid to the stent, whereby the fluid freezes to form the matrix embedding the stent across the central lumen of the stent;

c. pushing the stent and matrix into the stent deployment catheter lumen, whereby the matrix supports the tubular body of the stent; and

d. a removing the matrix from the inserted stent by sublimation.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the stent is fragile.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the stent has plural shape states.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the stent is a self-expanding stent having a predetermined expanded diameter and which is radially compressible to a diameter less than that of the expanded diameter.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the self-expanding stent has a predetermined length which is greater than 100 mm.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the self-expanding stent has at least first and second shape states, and wherein the article or apparatus is provided at a first shape state, and wherein the article or apparatus changes or seeks to change to the second shape state after removing the frozen matrix from the article or apparatus;

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the article or apparatus is a self-expanding stent having a predetermined expanded diameter and which is radially compressible to a diameter less than that of the expanded diameter, and wherein the stent is provided compressed, at a diameter less than its expanded diameter;

and wherein the stent seeks to change to its expanded diameter after removing the frozen matrix from the stent.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein compressing is crimping.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of cooling comprises contacting the stent with one or more cooled surfaces for a predetermined time.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the cooled surfaces are part of a crimper.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of crimping is accomplished before fully cooling the stent.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of applying a fluid to the stent, involves applying a CO₂ gas to the stent after the stent is cooled to the predetermined temperature.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the predetermined temperature is equal to or less than minus 78.5 C., and wherein the matrix comprises frozen CO₂.

36. The method of claim 26, wherein the self-expanding stent has a predetermined expanded diameter and the stent deployment catheter lumen has a diameter less than that of the expanded diameter of the stent.

37. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of removing the matrix from the stent after processing is accomplished by sublimation while the stent is disposed within the stent deployment catheter lumen.