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US 2022/0008235 A1Published application
Process for machine pre-crimping of stents, especially drug-coated stents
AssigneeBIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG
InventorFabian Risch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for arranging a stent, especially a drug-coated stent, on a balloon of a balloon catheter. At a stent implantation site (e.g., during an angioplasty procedure), the balloon of the balloon catheter serves to expand the stent radially, so that the stent, e.g., opens a vascular stenosis and is securely fixed to the vessel wall. Pressure plates are arranged and operate to maintain a protection device that avoids contamination of the stent.
Claims16
1-15. (canceled)
A process for arranging a stent on a balloon of a balloon catheter, comprising:
- a) Providing a stent having a wall structure that circles in a peripheral direction and that extends along a longitudinal axis and surrounds an interior of the stent extending along the longitudinal axis, the wall structure having an inner surface facing the interior and an outer surface facing away from the inner surface;
- b) Providing a protection device to avoid contamination of the stent;
- c) Inserting the stent in an insertion direction into an area between multiple movable pressure plates so that a stop limits motion of the stent in the insertion direction;
- d) Moving the pressure plates in the direction toward the outer surface of the stent so that the stent is held by the pressure plates;
- e) Inserting the balloon catheter into the interior of the stent so that the wall structure of the stent surrounds the balloon;
- f) Moving the pressure plates in the direction toward the outer surface of the wall structure of the stent so that the pressure plates crimp the stent on the balloon;
- and
- g) Opening the pressure plates and withdrawing the balloon catheter out of the area between the pressure plates with the stent crimped on the balloon;
- wherein
- the stent is inserted into the area according to step c) such that one or both of the following occurs
- at least a first part of the protection device prevents contact between a face of the stent and the stop;
- and
- at least a second part of the protection device is located between the outer surface of the wall structure of the stent and the pressure plates when the pressure plates are pressed against the outer surface of the stent with the second part of the protection device between them, the stent being held by the pressure plates in step d) with the second part of the protection device between them, and the pressure plates crimping the stent on the balloon in step f) with the second part of the protection device between them.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.