Apparatus for deploying body implantable stent
First Claim
1. An apparatus for deploying a prosthesis at a treatment site within a body lumen, in combination with the prosthesis, including:
- an elongate prosthesis carrier having a proximal end region, a distal end region having a distal end region axial length, a carrier wall defining a guidewire lumen running axially of the carrier at least along the distal end region, a first opening disposed at a distal end of the distal end region for admitting a guidewire into the guidewire lumen, a second opening through the carrier wall at a proximal end of the distal end region, for providing egress of the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen, and a means for channeling the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen through the second opening whereby the carrier contains the guidewire within the guidewire lumen only along the distal end region;
a prosthesis disposed along the distal end region;
a prosthesis retaining means for releasably supporting the prosthesis in a delivery state along the distal end region, said prosthesis retaining means including a rolling membrane folded over on itself in a delivery configuration whereby said membrane includes an outer fold and an inner fold attached to the prosthesis carrier and surrounded by the outer fold, wherein the membrane when in the delivery configuration is adapted to surround the prosthesis, and wherein the outer fold is movable proximally relative to the carrier away from the delivery configuration and, when so moved, tends to remove the rolling membrane proximally from its surrounding relation to the prosthesis to release the prosthesis, said prosthesis when so supported in the delivery state having a prosthesis length slightly less than the distal end region axial length whereby the prosthesis is between said first and second openings, said prosthesis further having a reduced radius along its axial length to facilitate delivery of the prosthesis to a treatment site in a body lumen; and
a control means coupled with respect to the retaining means, for releasing the prosthesis when the distal end region is positioned near the treatment site, thus to facilitate deployment of the prosthesis in a radially expanded state at the treatment site.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A stent deployment device includes a flexible, elongate interior catheter and a retaining structure cooperating with the catheter to support a stent along a distal end support region of the catheter. The stent is supported in a reduced radius delivery state to facilitate delivery to a treatment site in a body lumen, by advancing the device over a previously positioned guidewire. An opening at the distal end of the device receives the guidewire into a guidewire lumen of the interior catheter. A second opening through the catheter wall just proximally of the support region allows passage of the guidewire to the exterior of the catheter, whereby the guidewire is contained within the device only along the distal end region. A retainer for the stent can include an exterior catheter surrounding the interior catheter and stent, and moveable axially relative to the interior catheter. A portion of the guidewire proximally of the second opening is contained between the catheters, and can be removed from the exterior catheter through a slit running axially along the exterior catheter. Alternatively, the stent retainer can include a pair of spaced apart sleeves integral with the interior catheter and frictionally retaining opposite ends of the stent, to maintain the stent in the delivery state. In this case the catheter further supports a dilatation balloon surrounded by the stent. The balloon is expanded to free the stent from the sleeves.
644 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An apparatus for deploying a prosthesis at a treatment site within a body lumen, in combination with the prosthesis, including:
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an elongate prosthesis carrier having a proximal end region, a distal end region having a distal end region axial length, a carrier wall defining a guidewire lumen running axially of the carrier at least along the distal end region, a first opening disposed at a distal end of the distal end region for admitting a guidewire into the guidewire lumen, a second opening through the carrier wall at a proximal end of the distal end region, for providing egress of the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen, and a means for channeling the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen through the second opening whereby the carrier contains the guidewire within the guidewire lumen only along the distal end region; a prosthesis disposed along the distal end region; a prosthesis retaining means for releasably supporting the prosthesis in a delivery state along the distal end region, said prosthesis retaining means including a rolling membrane folded over on itself in a delivery configuration whereby said membrane includes an outer fold and an inner fold attached to the prosthesis carrier and surrounded by the outer fold, wherein the membrane when in the delivery configuration is adapted to surround the prosthesis, and wherein the outer fold is movable proximally relative to the carrier away from the delivery configuration and, when so moved, tends to remove the rolling membrane proximally from its surrounding relation to the prosthesis to release the prosthesis, said prosthesis when so supported in the delivery state having a prosthesis length slightly less than the distal end region axial length whereby the prosthesis is between said first and second openings, said prosthesis further having a reduced radius along its axial length to facilitate delivery of the prosthesis to a treatment site in a body lumen; and a control means coupled with respect to the retaining means, for releasing the prosthesis when the distal end region is positioned near the treatment site, thus to facilitate deployment of the prosthesis in a radially expanded state at the treatment site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for deploying a prosthesis at a treatment site within a body lumen, in combination with the prosthesis, including:
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a flexible, elongate inner catheter having a proximal end region and a distal end region, and further having a catheter wall defining a guidewire lumen open to a distal end of the inner catheter and running axially of the inner catheter at least along said distal end region of the inner catheter, said distal end region having a distal end region axial length; a prosthesis disposed along the distal end region; a prosthesis retaining means mounted with respect to the inner catheter and cooperating with the inner catheter to support the prosthesis along the distal end region of the inner catheter and in a delivery state in which the prosthesis has a prosthesis length slightly less than the distal end region axial length, said prosthesis further having a reduced radius along its axial length to facilitate delivery of the prosthesis to a treatment site in a body lumen, said retaining means being operable to release the prosthesis from the delivery state to deploy the prosthesis in a radially expanded state at the treatment site; and a first opening at said distal end of the inner catheter for receiving a flexible guidewire into the guidewire lumen, a second opening through the catheter wall at a proximal end of the distal end region, said second opening allowing passage of the guidewire from within the guidewire lumen to the exterior of the inner catheter, a means for channeling the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen through the second opening whereby the guidewire is contained within the inner catheter substantially only along said distal end region, and a groove in the inner catheter, extending axially from the proximal end of the distal end region to the proximal end region of the inner catheter. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An apparatus for deploying a prosthesis at a treatment site within a body lumen, in combination with the prosthesis, including:
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an elongate prosthesis carrier having a proximal end region, a distal end region having a distal end region axial length, a carrier wall defining a guidewire lumen running axially of the carrier at least along the distal end region, a first opening disposed at a distal end of the distal end region for admitting a guidewire into the guidewire lumen, a second opening through the carrier wall at a proximal end of the distal end region, for providing egress of the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen, and a means for channeling the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen through the second opening whereby the carrier contains the guidewire within the guidewire lumen only along the distal end region; a prosthesis disposed along the distal end region; a flexible, elongate outer catheter having a catheter wall defining a catheter lumen running axially for substantially the entire length of the outer catheter, said carrier being disposed within the catheter lumen and extending substantially the entire length of the outer catheter, the carrier and the outer catheter being movable with respect to one another toward and away from a delivery configuration; a rolling membrane folded over on itself and including an outer fold attached to the outer catheter and an inner fold attached to the carrier, wherein the rolling membrane is adapted to surround the prosthesis when the carrier and the outer catheter are in the delivery configuration, thus to releasably support the prosthesis in a delivery state along the distal end region; an outer catheter opening through the catheter wall and disposed near the proximal end of the distal end region when the outer catheter and the carrier are in the delivery configuration, to allow passage of the guidewire from within the catheter lumen to the exterior of the outer catheter, said outer catheter opening comprising an axial slit extended proximally to a proximal region of the outer catheter; said prosthesis when so supported in the delivery state having a reduced radius along its axial length to facilitate delivery of the prosthesis to a treatment site in a body lumen; and a control means coupled with respect to the outer catheter, for moving the outer catheter proximally relative to the carrier away from the delivery configuration to remove the rolling membrane proximally from its surrounding relation to the prosthesis, thereby releasing the prosthesis when the distal end region is positioned near the treatment site, thus to facilitate deployment of the prosthesis in a radially expanded state at the treatment site. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. An apparatus for deploying a prosthesis at a treatment site within a body lumen, in combination with a prosthesis, including:
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an elongate prosthesis carrier having a proximal end region, a distal end region having a distal end region axial length, a carrier wall defining a guidewire lumen running axially of the carrier at least along the distal end region, a first opening disposed at a distal end of the distal end region for admitting a guidewire into the guidewire lumen, a second opening through the carrier wall at a proximal end of the distal end region, for providing egress of the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen, a means for channeling the guidewire out of the guidewire lumen through the second opening whereby the carrier contains the guidewire within the guidewire lumen only along the distal end region, and a groove in the prosthesis carrier extending axially from the proximal end of the distal end region to the proximal end region of the prosthesis carrier, said prosthesis carrier having a total length in the range of from 15.3 to about 20 times said distal end region axial length; a prosthesis disposed along the distal end region; a prosthesis retaining means for releasably supporting the prosthesis in a delivery state along the distal end region, said prosthesis when so supported in the delivery state having a reduced radius along its axial length to facilitate delivery of the prosthesis to a treatment site in a body lumen; and a control means coupled with respect to the retaining means, for releasing the prosthesis when the distal end region is positioned near the treatment site, thus to facilitate deployment of the prosthesis in a radially expanded state at the treatment site. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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Specification