Perfusion balloon stent

A method of engaging a vessel wall with a balloon stent device constructed to be deposited in a blood vessel of a body by a removable transfer element and to reside in said vessel for a prolonged period while enabling blood flow therethrough, comprising the steps of:

• providing said balloon stent device in the form of an elongated stent structure comprised of an inner tubular structural member and an outer flexible inflatable element, said stent structure being of limited length, sized to wholly reside in the vessel, said inner tubular structural member defining an inner passage to enable perfusing blood flow therethrough, said inner passage sized to fit over said removable transfer element for delivery of the device to a desired site within the vessel, said outer flexible inflatable element secured about the outer side of said inner tubular structural member and constructed to be inflated to removably engage the vessel wall at sub-dilation pressure, said inner tubular structural member having sufficient radial stiffness to resist collapse when exposed to said inflation pressure whereby said inner passage remains open for said blood flow when said inflatable element is inflated, and a relatively small cross-section, elongated, flexible inflation-deflation element secured to said inflatable element, said inflation-deflation element having an interior lumen sized to permit passage of inflation fluid while having an exterior cross-section sufficiently small to permit prolonged residence of said inflation-deflation element in the vascular system without substantial adverse effect upon blood flow in the vessel, said inflation-deflation element extending to an inflation-deflation site outside the body, from which site said inflatable element in inflated state may be deflated when desired,
• providing an elongated transfer element constructed to removably engage the interior of said stent structure,
• engaging said stent structure with said elongated transfer element,
• while said stent structure is engaged with said transfer element, delivering said device to a target site within the vessel by advancing said transfer element into the vessel, and
• thereafter disengaging said transfer element from said stent structure at said site and removing said transfer element while leaving said balloon stent device at said site.