Apparatuses for stent shaping
AssigneeEdwards Lifesciences Corporation
InventorHarvey H. Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for crimping a radially expandable stent includes a pressure vessel, shaping balloon, and mandrel. The mandrel is configured to slidingly receive a stent thereon, and to be slidingly advanced into the pressure vessel. The shaping balloon is inflated to radially compress the stent onto the form of the mandrel; such compression need not be uniform. Pressurization of the shaping balloon facilitates the expansion of the balloon to achieve compression of the stent, with depressurization of the shaping balloon causing the balloon to return to an unexpanded state.
Claims20
An apparatus for shaping stents, comprising:
- a pressure vessel comprising upper and lower walls and a pressure vessel lumen extending axially through the pressure vessel defined by upper and lower openings in the upper and lower walls, respectively, the pressure vessel further including an annular shaping balloon held between the upper and lower walls and positioned circumferentially about the pressure vessel lumen and defining an inner balloon opening, the pressure vessel defining a balloon inflation passage open to an interior chamber of the shaping balloon which has an inflated configuration and a deflated configuration, wherein in the deflated configuration of the shaping balloon the inner balloon opening has a greater diameter than both the upper and lower openings so as not to extend into the pressure vessel lumen;
- and
- a mandrel having a mandrel longitudinal axis and a stent-receiving portion between two opposite ends and having a non-cylindrical shape, the mandrel sized to be received co-axially within the pressure vessel lumen, such that when a stent is positioned onto the stent-receiving portion of the mandrel and the mandrel is received co-axially within the pressure vessel lumen, inflation of the shaping balloon causes the balloon opening to compress the stent against the stent-receiving portion of the mandrel and deform the stent into the non-cylindrical shape of the stent-receiving portion.
An apparatus for shaping stents, comprising:
- a pressure vessel having rigid walls holding an annular shaping balloon formed from a flexible but substantially inelastic material, the shaping balloon having a radially inwardly facing balloon opening, the balloon opening having a pre-determined non-cylindrical shape when the shaping balloon is inflated, the pressure vessel defining a balloon inflation passage open to an interior chamber of the shaping balloon;
- and
- a mandrel comprising a non-cylindrical stent-receiving portion, wherein the mandrel is sized and configured to be slidingly advanced into the pressure vessel to a position where the stent-receiving portion is positioned within the balloon opening, and wherein the pre-determined shape of the balloon opening of the inflated shaping balloon conforms to the non-cylindrical stent-receiving portion, such that when a stent is positioned onto the stent-receiving portion of the mandrel and the mandrel is received within the pressure vessel, inflation of the shaping balloon causes the balloon opening to compress the stent against the stent-receiving portion of the mandrel and deform the stent into the non-cylindrical shape of the stent-receiving portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.