Reducing crimping damage to polymer scaffold
AssigneeAbbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc.
InventorsYunbing Wang, Luis Vazquez, Hung T. Nguyen, Scott H. Mueller, Kathleen Yan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A medical device includes a polymer scaffold crimped to a catheter having an expansion balloon. The scaffold is crimped to the catheter by a multi-step process for increasing scaffold-catheter yield following a crimping sequence. Damage reduction during a crimping sequence includes modifying blades of a crimper, adopting a multi-step crimping sequence, and inflating a supporting balloon to support the scaffold during crimping.
Claims18
A method for crimping a polymer scaffold to a balloon, comprising:
- placing a scaffold having a first diameter on a support balloon;
- inflating the support balloon to a pressure for supporting and stabilizing the scaffold at the first diameter while the scaffold is being crimped;
- crimping the scaffold from the first diameter to a second diameter while the scaffold is supported by the support balloon;
- replacing the support balloon with a balloon catheter after the scaffold is reduced to the second diameter;
- and
- crimping the scaffold to a third diameter, less than the second diameter while the scaffold is supported by the balloon catheter.
A method for crimping a polymer scaffold to a balloon catheter, comprising:
- placing a scaffold having a first diameter on a support balloon;
- inflating the support balloon to a pressure for supporting and stabilizing the scaffold at the first diameter while the scaffold is being crimped;
- crimping the scaffold from the first diameter to a second diameter while the scaffold is supported by the support balloon;
- replacing the support balloon with the balloon catheter after the scaffold is reduced to the second diameter;
- and
- crimping the scaffold to the balloon catheter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.