EP0553960A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Protective membrane for stent-carrying ballon catheter
Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc
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Filing: 1993-01-11
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-01-11
Abstract
Abstract A reinforcing membrane in the form of an elastic sheath used with a balloon catheter to enhance the delivery of an intravascular stent of the kind delivered by a balloon catheter. The sheath (20) is interspaced between the balloon and the stent in the preferred embodiment. The sheath (20) acts as a protective barrier, provides for uniform expansion of the stent, decreases the deflation time of the balloon, prevents undesirable flattening of the balloon upon deflation and withdrawal, and, among other things, provides a friction substrate for the stent. The sheath (20) may be made into an elastic membrane (10) that is applied on the inside or around the outside the balloon. The sheath may be formed of multiple co- extruded layers, with an outermost elastic layer. Preferably the sheath (20) is tubular and attached with adhesive, shrunk fit, or mechanically fastened to the outside of the balloon portion (35) of the catheter. The sheath (20) may contain a radiopaque material that may also be used to indicate when the stent has been expanded to a proper operational diameter.
Inventors
- 👤 Lilip Lau
- 👤 Gregory M. Hyde
- 👤 William M. Hartigan
- 👤 Michael S. Williams
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 12:44
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M25/00; A61M25/10; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/95; A61F2/958; A61F2250/00; A61F2250/0058; A61F2250/0096; A61F2250/0098; A61M25/0043; A61M25/0045; A61M2025/0046; A61M2025/0047; A61M2025/1043; A61M2025/1075; A61M2025/1081
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
299 words
A stent delivery system for delivering a stent having an expanded position and a collapsed position of the type used in conjunction with a balloon dilatation catheter to reinforce or repair a vasculature, said stent delivery system comprising: a balloon dilatation catheter with an elongated tubular member having a proximal and distal end, said tubular member having an inflation lumen extending therein; a flexible, relatively inelastic balloon located proximal the distal end of said tubular member, said balloon having a distal end and proximal end attached to said tubular member, said balloon having an outer surface coated with a low coefficient of friction material and an inflation means in communication with said balloon whereby said balloon may be inflated and deflated; a tubular sheath disposed about said balloon between said balloon and said stent, said tubular sheath having a distal end, proximal end and central portion, said central portion of tubular sheath having an inner surface coated with a low coefficient of friction material and an outer surface coated with a high coefficient of friction material, said tubular sheath secured to said balloon dilatation catheter; said outer surface of balloon and said inner surface of said tubular sheath forming a substantially frictionless interface permitting said central portion of said tubular sheath to expand substantially without friction upon balloon inflation and translating uneven radial force created by asymmetrical balloon inflation into uniform radial force upon said collapsed stent, forcing symmetrical expansion of said stent and thereby proper stent installation in said vasculature; and said collapsed stent releasably secured to said high friction outer surface of said tubular sheath thereby retaining said stent on said sheath while said stent is advanced through the vasculature until said collapsed stent is expanded and released at the point of its installation within said vasculature.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
27 words
The stent delivery system of claim 1, wherein said tubular sheath comprises an elastic membrane with an axial length greater than the axial length of said stent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The stent delivery system of claim 1, wherein said tubular sheath comprises an elastic membrane which uniformly expands when said balloon is expanded.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
The stent delivery system of claim 1, wherein said tubular sheath has an inner diameter defined as its diameter when said tubular sheath is in a collapsed state prior to being fitted over the outside of said balloon, said inner diameter of said tubular sheath is less than the outer diameter of said balloon, when said balloon is in its deflated state.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
The stent delivery system of claim 1, wherein said tubular sheath is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of silicone, latex, polyethylene or derivatives thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The stent delivery system of claim 1, wherein said tubular sheath is adhesively secured to said balloon dilatation catheter.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The stent delivery system of claim 1, wherein said tubular sheath is secured to said balloon dilatation catheter by shrink fitting.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
438 words
A method of delivering a stent having an expanded position and a collapsed position of the type used in conjunction with a balloon dilatation catheter to reinforce or repair a vasculature using a stent delivery system, said delivery system, including a balloon dilatation catheter with an elongated tubular member having a proximal and distal end, said tubular member having an inflation lumen extending therein; a flexible, relatively inelastic balloon located proximal the distal end of said tubular member, said balloon having a distal end and proximal end attached to said tubular member, said balloon having an outer surface coated with a low coefficient of friction material and an inflation means in communication with said balloon whereby said balloon may be inflated and deflated; an elastic tubular sheath disposed about said balloon between said balloon and said stent, said tubular sheath having a distal end, proximal end and central portion, said central portion of tubular sheath having an inner surface coated with a low coefficient of friction material and an outer surface coated with a high coefficient of friction material, said proximal and distal ends of said tubular sheath secured to said proximal and distal ends of said tubular body to allow said central portion of said tubular sheath to expand and contract substantially without friction upon balloon inflation and deflation; and means to releasably secure said collapsed stent to provide a high friction contact between said collapsed stent and said high coefficient of friction outer surface of said tubular sheath thereby allowing said stent to be advanced into the patient's vasculature until said stent is expanded and released at the point of its installation within said vasculature, the method comprising the steps of: percutaneously introducing the stent delivery system, having said balloon, said tubular sheath and said stent in the collapsed position, into the vascular system with the inflation means extending outside the body; advancing the stent delivery system within the vascular system to the location of said vasculature to be reinforced or repaired; inflating said balloon with inflation means to uniformly expand said tubular sheath as a result of the substantially frictionless interface between said outer surface of said balloon and said inner surface of said tubular sheath, thereby radially expanding the stent uniformly to optimize its installation in the wall of said vasculature, and at the same time release the stent from said outer surface of said tubular sheath; deflating said balloon thereby allowing said tubular sheath to return to its collapsed position around said balloon while leaving said expanded stent installed in said vasculature wall; and withdrawing said stent delivery system from the vascular system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
258 words
An improved stent delivery system employing a tubular sheath for delivering an intravascular stent having a collapsed and expanded position for repairing or reinforcing a vasculature, the stent delivery system having a balloon dilatation catheter with an inflation means and a flexible, relatively inelastic balloon adapted to receive inflation fluid from the inflation means, an outer surface of said balloon being coated with a low coefficient of friction material and means to releasably secure said stent to the stent delivery system until said stent is released at the point of its expansion and installation within the vasculature, wherein the improvement comprises: (a) an elastic tubular sheath having an inner surface and an outer surface, said inner surface of said sheath being coated with a low coefficient of friction material and said outer surface of said sheath being coated with a high coefficient of friction material; (b) said outer surface of said balloon and said inner surface of sheath forming a substantially frictionless interface thereby permitting said sheath to expand substantially without friction upon balloon inflation and thereby translate uneven radial force created by asymmetrical balloon inflation into uniform radial force upon said collapsed stent, resulting in symmetrical expansion of said stent and thereby proper stent installation in said vasculature; and (c) said collapsed stent releasably secured to said high friction outer surface of said tubular sheath thereby retaining said stent on said sheath while said stent is advanced through the vasculature until said collapsed stent is expanded and released at the point of its installation within said vasculature.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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