Stent crimping tool and method of use
First Claim
1. A tool for crimping a stent in combination with a stent, the combination comprising;
- the tool having a rigid chassis, the rigid chassis having a hollow interior, a front end, and a back end;
a back end cap enclosing the back end of the chassis;
a front end cap having a first central opening and enclosing the front end of the chassis;
an elastic tube having a second central opening extending therethrough and having a length less than the length of the hollow interior to define a chamber adjacent to the back end, the elastic tube being disposed within the hollow interior and adjacent the front end cap such that the second central opening is in axial alignment with the first central opening;
a piston slidably disposed within the chamber; and
a drive source engaging the rigid chassis and the piston and disposed within the hollow interior, so as to displace the piston to compress the elastic tube;
wherein the stent is mounted on a balloon catheter and is positioned within the second central opening of the elastic tube, and upon actuation of the drive source, the piston compresses the elastic tube thereby squeezing the stent radially onto the catheter.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A tool and method for enabling substantially uniform and tight crimping of an intravascular stent onto a balloon catheter assembly. The crimping tool is constructed from a rigid cylindrical chassis sealed at both ends, having a hollow interior containing an elastic tube that partially occupies the interior. A piston abuts the elastic tube and forms a hermetically sealed chamber behind the piston and a closed end ofthe chassis. A port connected to an indeflator and positioned on the chassis provides an inlet into and out of the chamber. A stent that is loaded onto the balloon portion of the catheter is inserted through a central opening in another end of the chassis to position the stent catheter assembly within the axial space inside the elastic tube. The indeflator injects a fluid into the chamber thereby increasing its pressure which in turn displaces the piston into the elastic tube compressing the tube longitudinally. The elastic tube decreases in length and expands in thickness radially to crimp the stent onto the balloon catheter. Once pressure is relieved from the chamber, the piston moves away from the elastic tube, which restores to its original shape. The crimped stent and catheter can then be withdrawn. The piston may be driven by a power screw in place of fluid pressure.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A tool for crimping a stent in combination with a stent, the combination comprising;
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the tool having a rigid chassis, the rigid chassis having a hollow interior, a front end, and a back end; a back end cap enclosing the back end of the chassis; a front end cap having a first central opening and enclosing the front end of the chassis; an elastic tube having a second central opening extending therethrough and having a length less than the length of the hollow interior to define a chamber adjacent to the back end, the elastic tube being disposed within the hollow interior and adjacent the front end cap such that the second central opening is in axial alignment with the first central opening; a piston slidably disposed within the chamber; and a drive source engaging the rigid chassis and the piston and disposed within the hollow interior, so as to displace the piston to compress the elastic tube; wherein the stent is mounted on a balloon catheter and is positioned within the second central opening of the elastic tube, and upon actuation of the drive source, the piston compresses the elastic tube thereby squeezing the stent radially onto the catheter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A tool for crimping a stent in combination with a stent, the combination comprising;
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a rigid chassis having an interior of a length closed at an end and open at the opposite end; an end cap covering the open end, the end cap having a central opening; a pliant tube disposed within the rigid chassis adjacent to the end cap having an axial space in communication with the central opening of the end cap, wherein the tube has an axial length that is less than the length of the interior of the chassis forming a chamber adjacent the closed end; a piston slidably disposed within the chamber of the rigid chassis; and a drive source engaging the rigid chassis at the closed end and the piston and disposed within the chamber, wherein the stent is mounted on a catheter and positioned through the central opening within the axial space, and the drive source displaces the piston to compress the pliant tube and the compressed pliant tube squeezes the stent radially onto the catheter. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for crimping a stent onto a balloon catheter comprising the steps of:
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providing a chassis having an interior enclosed at an end and open at an opposite end; enclosing the open end with an end cap having a central opening; providing a resilient tube inside the interior having a length shorter than a length of the interior thereby forming a chamber adjacent the enclosed end of the housing, wherein the resilient tube includes an axial space in communication with the central opening; providing a piston within the cylinder; loading the stent onto the balloon catheter; inserting the stent and catheter into the axial space; and displacing the piston against the resilient tube to compress the tube; wherein the compressed resilient tube compresses the stent radially onto the catheter. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification