Chemically based vascular occlusion device deployment

A method for deployment of a vascular occlusion device at a preselected location within the vasculature of a patient, comprising:

• providing a deployment unit comprising a pusher member having a gripper located at a distal end of the pusher member, said gripper having an expandable gripper element for gripping a vascular occlusion device and an expandable reaction chamber disposed at least partially within said gripper, said chamber including a first sub-chamber and a second sub-chamber separated by a heat dissolving membrane, a first reactant housed within the first sub-chamber and a second reactant housed within the second sub-chamber;
• gripping a protruding portion of a vascular occlusion device with said gripper;
• guiding the vascular occlusion device to a preselected location within the vasculature of a patient with said pusher;
• dissolving the heat dissolving membrane to cause the first reactant and the second reactant to react within the interior of the expandable reaction chamber to produce a product having a volume greater than the combined volume of the first and second reactants, said product expanding the expandable reaction chamber;
• and
• expanding the gripping elements under the force of the expanding reaction chamber, thereby releasing the protruding portion of the vascular occlusion device.