Stent placement device with medication dispenser and method

Claim 2

An inflatable medical device for the placement of a stent in a body passageway by means of a two-stage expansion of said stent, said device comprising: a catheter shaft (14) having at least two lumens (13, 22 or 28) disposed therein, said catheter shaft having a distal end adapted to be disposed within said body passageway; a hollow, inflatable, balloon (16) defined by a generally cylindrical wall and having a proximal end, the proximal end of the balloon being disposed on the distal end of said catheter shaft, the interior of said balloon being in fluid flow relationship with a first of said lumens whereby to provide the interior of said balloon with an inflation fluid; an array of circumferentially arranged inflation conduits (40) disposed in said wall, said conduits (40) being spaced from each other within said wall whereby to form an annular array, the interior of said conduits being in fluid flow relationship with a second of said lumens whereby to provide said conduits with an inflation fluid; a stent (30) removably disposed around the exterior of the wall of said balloon, said stent being expandable radially outwardly from a narrow insertion diameter to a larger second diameter by the expansion of said balloon and then to a still larger third diameter by inflation of said inflation conduits whereby to expand said body passageway and seat said stent.

Claim 3

The medical device according to claim 1 wherein said inflation conduits (40) are uniformly arrayed and spaced from each other around said balloon (16).

Claim 4

The medical device according to claim 1 wherein the stent is an interwoven plexus of at least two sets of helically disposed wires wound together with one set juxtaposed relative to the other set to form a tubular arrangement expandable to a plurality of diameters.

Claim 7

The method according to claim 4 further including the steps inserting said balloon with said stent within a body passageway to a predetermined location, inflating said balloon to expand the diameter and initially site said stent, inflating said inflation conduits to expand the diameter said stent further and seat said stent in a predetermined location and then withdrawing inflation fluids from both said balloon and said inflation conduits and withdrawing said balloon from said stent.

Claim 10

The method according to claim 6 further including the steps inserting said balloon with said stent within a vascular passageway to a predetermined location, inflating said balloon to expand the diameter and initially site said stent, inflating said inflation conduits to expand the diameter said stent further and seat said stent in a predetermined location, dispensing medications to a predetermined site through said medication-dispensing conduits and then withdrawing inflation fluids from both said balloon and said inflation conduits and withdrawing said balloon from said stent.

Claim 13

An inflatable medical device for the placement of a stent in a vascular passageway by means of a two-stage expansion of said stent, said device comprising: a catheter shaft (14) having at least two lumens (13, 22 or 28) disposed therein, said catheter shaft having a distal end adapted to be disposed within said vascular passageway; a hollow, an inflatable, balloon (16) defined by a generally cylindrical wall and having a proximal end, the proximal end of the balloon being disposed on the distal end of said catheter shaft, the interior of said balloon being in fluid flow relationship with a first of said lumens whereby to provide the interior of said balloon with an inflation fluid; an array of circumferentially-arranged imperforate inflation conduits (40) disposed within said wall, said conduits (40) being spaced from each other within said wall whereby to form an annular array, the interior of said conduits being in fluid flow relationship with a second of said lumens whereby to provide said conduits with an inflation fluid to inflate said conduits; a stent (30) removably disposed around the exterior of the wall of said balloon, said stent being expandable radially outwardly from a narrow insertion diameter to a larger second diameter by inflation of said balloon and then to a still larger diameter by inflation of said inflation conduits whereby to expand said vascular passageway and seat said stent.

Claim 14

An inflatable medical device for the placement of a stent in a vascular passageway by means of a two-stage expansion of said stent, said device comprising: a catheter shaft (14) having at least two lumens (13, 22 or 28) disposed therein, said catheter shaft having a distal end adapted to be disposed within said vascular passageway; a hollow, an inflatable, balloon (16) defined by a generally cylindrical wall and having a proximal end, the proximal end of the balloon being disposed on the distal end of said catheter shaft, the interior of said balloon being in fluid flow relationship with a first of said lumens whereby to provide the interior of said balloon with an inflation fluid; an array of circumferentially-arranged imperforate inflation conduits (40) disposed within said wall, said conduits (40) being spaced from each other within said wall whereby to form an annular array, the interior of said conduits being in fluid flow relationship with a second of said lumens whereby to provide said conduits with an inflation fluid to inflate said conduits; a stent (30) removably disposed around the exterior of the wall of said balloon, said stent being expandable radially outwardly from a narrow insertion diameter to a larger second diameter by inflation of said balloon and then to a still larger diameter by inflation of said inflation conduits whereby to expand said vascular passageway and seat said stent.

Claim 15

The medical device according to claim 9 wherein said inflation conduits (40) are uniformly arrayed and spaced from each other around said balloon (16).

Claim 16

The medical device according to claim 9 wherein the stent is an interwoven plexus of at least two sets of helically-disposed wires wound together with one set juxtaposed relative to the other set to form a tubular arrangement expandable to a plurality of diameters.

Claim 17

An inflatable medical device for the placement of a stent in a vascular passageway by means of a two-stage expansion of said stent and for the intravascular delivery of medications, said device comprising: a catheter shaft (14) having a plurality of lumens (13, 22, 28) disposed therein, said catheter shaft having a distal end adapted to be disposed within a vascular passageway; an inflatable balloon defined by a generally cylindrical wall and adapted to receive inflation fluids, said balloon being disposed on the distal end of said shaft; an array of circumferentially-arranged inflation conduits (40) disposed in said wall, said conduits (40) being spaced from each other within the wall of said balloon (16) whereby to form an annular array; means for delivering an inflation fluid from a first of said lumens in said shaft to said balloon (16) and means for the delivery of an inflation fluid from a second of said lumens to said conduits (25, 40) whereby increases in balloon diameter can be provided in two stages of said balloon and said conduits; an array of medication-delivering conduits (25) also disposed within the wall of said balloon (16), a third of said lumens (13, 22 or 28) being connected to said medication-delivering conduits (25); dispensing means disposed on the outer surfaces of said medication-dispensing conduits (25), said medication-dispensing conduits being adapted to deliver medications from said third lumen to predetermined locations within said vascular passageway; a stent (30) removably disposed around the exterior of the wall of said balloon, said stent being expandable radially outwardly from a narrow insertion diameter to a larger second diameter by the expansion of said balloon and then to a larger third diameter by inflation of said inflation conduits whereby to expand said body passageway and seat said stent.

Claim 18

An inflatable medical device for the placement of a stent in a vascular passageway by means of a two-stage expansion of said stent and for the intravascular delivery of medications, said device comprising: a catheter shaft (14) having a plurality of lumens (13, 22, 28) disposed therein, said catheter shaft having a distal end adapted to be disposed within a vascular passageway; an inflatable balloon defined by a generally cylindrical wall and adapted to receive inflation fluids, said balloon being disposed on the distal end of said shaft; an array of circumferentially-arranged inflation conduits (40) disposed in said wall, said conduits (40) being spaced from each other within the wall of said balloon (16) whereby to form an annular array; means for delivering an inflation fluid from a first of said lumens in said shaft to said balloon (16) and means for the delivery of an inflation fluid from a second of said lumens to said conduits (25, 40) whereby increases in balloon diameter can be provided in two stages of said balloon and said conduits; an array of medication-delivering conduits (25) also disposed within the wall of said balloon (16), a third of said lumens (13, 22 or 28) being connected to said medication-delivering conduits (25); dispensing means disposed on the outer surfaces of said medication-dispensing conduits (25), said medication-dispensing conduits being adapted to deliver medications from said third lumen to predetermined locations within said vascular passageway; a stent (30) removably disposed around the exterior of the wall of said balloon, said stent being expandable radially outwardly from a narrow insertion diameter to a larger second diameter by the expansion of said balloon and then to a larger third diameter by inflation of said inflation conduits whereby to expand said body passageway and seat said stent.

Claim 19

The medical device according to claim 12 wherein said conduits are arranged around said balloon, said conduits being spaced from each other on said balloon and individually segmented from each other.

Claim 20

The medical device according to claim 12 wherein said dispensing means includes perforations on said conduits.

Claim 21

The medical device according to claim 12 wherein each of said medication dispensing conduits (25) have at least one perforation on their lengths whereby to provide egress for medications from said balloon.