Stent coating nozzle assembly
AssigneeAdvanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.
InventorStephen Dirk Pacetti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system, nozzle assembly, and method for coating a stent with a solvent and polymer are provided. The polymer can include a therapeutic substance or a drug. The polymer and solvent can be discharged from separate tubes disposed within another tube carrying moving air. The polymer and the solvent mix together when they are discharged and are atomized by the air. The ends of the tubes can be concentric with each other. The ends of the tubes can also be positioned relative to each other to prevent accumulation of polymer at the ends of the tubes.
Claims11
A nozzle assembly to dispense a solvent and a polymer onto a stent, comprising:
- a first tube adjacent a stent, the first tube adapted to deliver a composition including a polymer to the stent;
- a second tube disposed over the first tube and adapted to deliver a solvent, the second tube further adapted to blend or mix the solvent with the composition when the composition and the solvent are discharged out from the first tube and the second tube toward the stent, respectively;
- and
- a third tube disposed over the second tube and adapted to atomize the composition and the solvent that are discharged toward the stent,
- wherein the second tube is positioned relative to the first tube so that when the solvent is discharged from the second tube, the solvent cleans the composition off the tip of the first tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.