Method of producing stent-balloon assembly
AssigneeAbbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
InventorStephen Dirk Pacetti
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of producing a stent-balloon assembly is disclosed which includes providing a stent having a polymeric component; exposing the stent to a relative humidity of 20% to 100%; and crimping the stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly. The polymeric component could be at least part of the material from which the stent is made or could be a constituent of a coating for the stent, such as a drug delivery coating. In lieu of or in addition to the application of humidity, a plasticizing agent can be applied to the polymeric component. A crimping device is also disclosed which allows the stent to be exposed to humidity during the crimping process.
Claims33
A method of producing a stent-balloon assembly, comprising:
- (a) providing a stent having a polymeric component;
- (b) applying a plasticizing agent to the polymeric component;
- and
- (c) crimping the stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly while the plasticizing agent is present on or within the polymeric component.
A method of producing a stent-balloon assembly, comprising:
- (a) providing a stent having a polymeric component;
- (b) lowering the glass transition temperature of the polymeric component;
- and
- (c) applying force to the stent to crimp the stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly when the glass transition temperature is lowered, wherein the glass transition temperature is lowered by a process selected from a group consisting of exposure to a vapor, exposure to moisture, exposure to a gas, exposure to a plasticizing agent, exposure to a solvent vapor, exposure to a polymer monomer vapor, exposure to a liquid solvent, exposure to a liquid polymer monomer, and exposure to a plasticizing agent vapor.
A method of producing a stent-balloon assembly, comprising:
- (a) providing a stent having a polymeric component;
- (b) reducing the shore D harness of the polymeric component by exposing the polymeric component to a plasticizing agent;
- and
- (c) applying force to the stent to mount the stent on a balloon of a catheter assembly when the shore D harness is lowered.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.