Loading and delivery of self-expanding stents

• US 9,072,623 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: C.R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Dorn, Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan V
• Assistant Examiner(s): IGBOKO, CHIMA U
• Application Number:
  US13/648,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20130079863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 623/1.11, 606/194, 606/198
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2427 Devices for manipulating or deploying heart valves during implantation
• 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: A61F 2/966 with relative longitudinal movement between outer sleeve and prosthesis, e.g. using a push rod
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0091 helically-coiled or spirally-coiled, i.e. having a 2-D spiral cross-section

Abstract

A method of deploying a stent includes providing a delivery system with the stent loaded in a reduced diameter configuration between an inner catheter and an outer sheath, the stent including a covering positioned on a luminal wall surface thereof, the inner catheter including a radially outwardly extending protrusion that extends into the covering but does not intersect a plane along the stent luminal wall surface, advancing the delivery system to a stenting site, and withdrawing the outer sheath to deploy the stent at the stenting site.

Claims

1. A method of deploying a stent, comprising:

providing a delivery system with the stent loaded in a reduced diameter configuration between an inner catheter and an outer sheath, the stent including a covering positioned on a luminal wall surface thereof, the inner catheter including a radially outwardly extending protrusion that extends into the covering but does not intersect a plane along the stent luminal wall surface;

advancing the delivery system to a stenting site; and

withdrawing the outer sheath to deploy the stent at the stenting site.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawing includes a tip of the outer sheath stretching and sliding over an abluminal wall surface of the stent.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawing includes a tip of the outer sheath stretching and sliding over an outer covering positioned on an abluminal wall surface of the stent.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawing includes withdrawing the outer sheath by moving a proximal end of the outer sheath in a proximal direction.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawing includes using a pull wire within a shaft lumen to proximally move the outer sheath.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the outer catheter is a full length outer catheter such that the withdrawing includes pulling on a proximal end of the outer catheter at a proximal end of the delivery system.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising withdrawing the inner catheter from the lumen of the stent graft following expansion thereof to an expanded diameter.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawing further comprises longitudinally retaining the stent at the stenting site through an interaction between the protrusion of the inner catheter and the covering of the stent.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawing further comprises moving the covering radially away from the protrusions creating an annular gap between the covering and the protrusion when the outer catheter is completely withdrawn from the stent.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the withdrawing further comprises distributing forces imposed during withdrawal over a substantial length of the stent through a plurality of protrusions on the inner catheter spaced along the substantial length of the stent.

11. A method of deploying a stent, comprising:

providing a delivery system with the stent loaded in a reduced diameter configuration between an inner catheter and an outer sheath, the stent being a covered stent having a matrix with surfaces defining luminal and abluminal envelopes spaced apart by a stent wall thickness, a covering material bonded to the matrix lying radially inside the luminal envelope, the inner catheter including a radially outwardly extending protrusion that extends into the covering but does not reach radially outwardly as far as the luminal envelope;

advancing the delivery system to a stenting site; and

withdrawing the outer sheath to deploy the stent at the stenting site.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the withdrawing includes a tip of the outer sheath stretching and sliding over the abluminal envelope of the stent.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the withdrawing includes a tip of the outer sheath stretching and sliding over an outer covering positioned on an abluminal wall surface of the stent.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the withdrawing includes withdrawing the outer sheath by moving a proximal end of the outer sheath in a proximal direction.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the withdrawing includes using a pull wire within a shaft lumen to proximally move the outer sheath.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the outer catheter is a full length outer catheter such that the withdrawing includes pulling on a proximal end of the outer catheter at a proximal end of the delivery system.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising withdrawing the inner catheter from the lumen of the stent graft following expansion thereof to an expanded diameter.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the withdrawing further comprises longitudinally retaining the stent at the stenting site through an interaction between the protrusion of the inner catheter and the covering of the stent.

19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the withdrawing further comprises moving the covering radially away from the protrusions creating an annular gap between the covering and the protrusion when the outer catheter is completely withdrawn from the stent.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the withdrawing step further comprises distributing forces imposed during withdrawal over a substantial length of the stent through a plurality of protrusions on the inner catheter spaced along the substantial length of the stent.