Patent US6009614A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6009614A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Stent crimping tool and method of use
Assignee: Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc
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Filing: 1998-04-21
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Granted: 2000-01-04
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Expires: 2018-04-21
Abstract
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 The crimped stent and catheter can then be withdrawn.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.
Inventors
- 👤 Stephen A. Morales
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 14:20
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/95; A61F2/958; A61F2/9522; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49764; Y10T29/49771; Y10T29/49776; Y10T29/49826; Y10T29/49908; Y10T29/49925; Y10T29/49927; Y10T29/53; Y10T29/53657; Y10T29/53909; Y10T29/53987
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
200 words
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.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
200 words
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.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
57 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein the tool further comprises a port in communication with the chamber disposed between the back end of the chassis and the piston, and the drive source includes a pressurized fluid, wherein a flow from the pressurized fluid source connected to the port forces the piston into and compresses the elastic tube.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein the elastic tube includes a varying outside diameter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
13 words
The combination of claim 2, wherein the pressurized fluid source includes an indeflator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein the front end cap is bonded to the chassis.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
12 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein the elastic tube includes a polymer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein the elastic tube has a profile that includes a cone.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein the elastic tube includes at least one striation formed in an inside diameter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
14 words
The combination of claim 2, wherein the pressurized fluid source includes an inflation fluid.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein an inside diameter of the hollow interior of the elastic tube is slightly greater than an outside diameter of the uncrimped stent.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The combination of claim 1, wherein the drive source includes a power screw threaded to the closed back end.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
173 words
A tool for crimping a stent in combination with a stent, the combination comprising; 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.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
173 words
A tool for crimping a stent in combination with a stent, the combination comprising; 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.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
The combination of claim 12, wherein the drive source includes a pressurized fluid source, and the rigid chassis includes a port in fluid communication with chamber connected to the pressurized fluid source, whereby the pressurized fluid source displaces the piston.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
22 words
The combination of claim 12, wherein the drive source includes a power screw threaded to the closed end of the rigid chassis.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
13 words
The combination of claim 13, wherein the pressurized fluid source includes an indeflator.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
The combination of claim 12, wherein the piston and the end cap abut the pliant tube.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
11 words
The combination of claim 12, wherein the chamber is hermetically sealed.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
17 words
The combination of claim 12, wherein chassis and pliant tube have circular cross-sections and are coaxially disposed.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
130 words
A method for crimping a stent onto a balloon catheter comprising the steps of: 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.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
130 words
A method for crimping a stent onto a balloon catheter comprising the steps of: 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.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the step of displacing the piston further comprises injecting a fluid under pressure through a port in the chassis in communication with the chamber between the enclosed end and the piston, whereby the pressurized fluid source displaces the piston into the resilient tube thereby compressing the resilient tube.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the step of displacing the piston further comprises providing a power screw engaging the enclosed end and the piston, and rotating the power screw to displace the piston.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 20, wherein the step of injecting a fluid under pressure includes the step of connecting an indeflator to the chamber.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the resilient tube includes rubber.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the method further comprises the step of bonding the end cap to the chassis and the resilient tube.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the axial space has a diameter slightly greater than an outside diameter of the unexpanded stent.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises the steps of depressurizing the chamber allowing the elastic tube to restore to its original shape and re-pressurizing the chamber.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the elastic tube includes an internal striation.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of claim 19, wherein the elastic tube has a varying outside diameter.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2003-01-03 | 2003-07-05 | 2004-01-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2007-01-03 | 2007-07-05 | 2008-01-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2011-01-03 | 2011-07-05 | 2012-01-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |