STENTS AND CATHETERS HAVING IMPROVED STENT DEPLOYMENT
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An implant delivery system and method comprises an implant, for example, a stent, and a delivery catheter. The stent has a scaffold with a coating or a shell that retains the scaffold in a collapsed configuration. The coating or shell is made of a material that dissolves or biodegrades upon exposure to a dissolution or biodegradation media. The stent is used with an implant delivery system which has a catheter with a catheter, wherein the stent is mounted on the catheter shaft. The catheter shaft is configured to be withdrawn through the patient'"'"'s vessel when the scaffold is in its expanded configuration. Advantageously, the implant is thereby prevented from changing length during implant delivery and implant deployment.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1-21. -21. (canceled)
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22. An implant delivery system comprising:
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a catheter shaft; a stent mounted on the catheter shaft, the stent including a scaffold having a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration, the stent comprising a shell surrounding the scaffold, the shell being configured to retain the scaffold in the collapsed configuration and being formed of a material that dissolves upon exposure to a dissolution media, the scaffold being expandable from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration through exposure of the shell to the dissolution media; and a tubular sheath covering, and in contact with, the shell of the stent while the scaffold is in the collapsed configuration, the tubular sheath being movable to expose the shell and enable the scaffold to expand from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration as the shell dissolves upon exposure to the dissolution media. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification