Stent delivery system having a fixed guidewire
First Claim
1. A stent delivery system comprising:
- a balloon catheter having a distal section with an inflatable balloon located at the distal section;
a stent co-axially mounted on the inflatable balloon; and
a flexible guidewire attached to and extending distally from the distal section of the balloon catheter, the guidewire having a central core wire therethrough that extends from the guidewire in a proximal direction through the stent delivery system, the central core wire being formed from a shape memory alloy and having a distal portion that has a transition temperature higher than body temperature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention is a stent delivery system that uses short section of guidewire fixedly attached to the distal section of a balloon angioplasty catheter onto which a stent is co-axially mounted. By not having a guidewire that slides through the balloon of the balloon angioplasty catheter, the deflated balloon on which the stent is mounted can have a reduced diameter. Therefore, the outer diameter of the pre-deployed stent mounted onto that balloon is also minimized. This provides a smaller profile, i.e., a smaller outer diameter, for the stent. The time to perform a stent delivery procedure is reduced; a separate guidewire does not have to be placed prior to using the stent delivery system to place the stent at the site of a stenosis. Another embodiment of the present invention has a core wire that extends for nearly the entire length of the stent delivery system, the guidewire having different levels of stiffness for different portions of the core wire'"'"'s length.
96 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A stent delivery system comprising:
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a balloon catheter having a distal section with an inflatable balloon located at the distal section;
a stent co-axially mounted on the inflatable balloon; and
a flexible guidewire attached to and extending distally from the distal section of the balloon catheter, the guidewire having a central core wire therethrough that extends from the guidewire in a proximal direction through the stent delivery system, the central core wire being formed from a shape memory alloy and having a distal portion that has a transition temperature higher than body temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A stent delivery system comprising:
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a balloon catheter having a distal section with an inflatable balloon located at the distal section;
a balloon expandable stent co-axially mounted on the inflatable balloon; and
a flexible guidewire attached to and extending distally from the distal section of the balloon catheter, the guidewire having a central core wire therethrough that extends through the guidewire and extends from the guidewire in a proximal direction through the stent delivery system, the central core wire being formed with at least three different cross sectional areas, and the central core wire being formed from a shape memory alloy and having a distal portion that has a transition temperature higher than body temperture.
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Specification