Slotted pusher rod for flexible delivery system
View Patent ↗A delivery system for an intraluminal medical device comprises an elongate tubular sheath 20 and an elongate tubular pusher 50 slidably disposed within a lumen of the sheath and having a flexible configuration due to circumferentially-extending fins 154 along its exterior surface. The spacing and/or the size of the fins 154 may vary along the pusher 50 . Different regions of the pusher 50 may be of materials with different flexibility.
1. A delivery system for an intraluminal medical device, the system comprising:
an elongate tubular sheath having a proximal end, a distal end, and a sheath lumen;
an elongate tubular pusher slidably disposed within the sheath lumen, the pusher having a proximal end, a distal end, an exterior surface, a lumen defining an interior surface, and a central core circumscribing the pusher lumen;
the pusher exterior surface comprising a slotted configuration having a plurality of fins and a plurality of interspaces separating the fins, where a first interspace has a width different than a second interspace, and
where there is a varying radial depth within one of the interspaces, wherein the radial depth is defined as the depth from the pusher exterior surface to the central core.
2. The system according to claim 1 , the fins extending substantially circumferentially around the pusher.
3. The system according to claim 1 , at least two of the fins or the interspaces having a uniform longitudinal length.
4. The system according to claim 1 , where a first fin has a width different than a second fin at different parts of the pusher.
5. The system according to claim 4 , where a width of the first fin is greater than a width of the second fin, and where the first fin is located proximal to the second fin.
6. The system according to claim 1 , where the plurality of fins comprise a radial depth that is less than or equal to a thickness of the pusher wall defined by the interior and exterior surfaces of the pusher.
7. The system according to claim 1 , the fins having a radial depth which varies along a length of the pusher.
8. The system according to claim 1 , where the plurality of fins has a radial depth at the pusher distal end between about 40% and about 90% of a thickness of the pusher wall.
9. The system according to claim 8 , where the plurality of fins has a radial depth at the pusher proximal end between about 5% and about 60% of a thickness of the pusher wall.
10. The system according to claim 1 , the slotted configuration comprising a first slotted configuration at a first longitudinal position along the pusher and a second slotted configuration at a second longitudinal position along the pusher, the second slotted configuration being different from the first slotted configuration.
11. The system according to claim 1 , the exterior surface of the pusher having a slotted configuration over only a part of its length.
12. The system according to claim 11 , where the slotted configuration extends proximally from the distal end of the pusher.
13. The system according to claim 1 , the slotted configuration comprising no ribs, one rib, two ribs, three ribs, or four ribs.
14. The system according to claim 1 , the slotted configuration comprising at least one rib having at least one channel therethrough.
15. The system according to claim 1 , where the slotted configuration is selected from the group consisting of aligned slotted configurations, alternating slotted configurations, offset slotted configurations, spiral slotted configurations, and stepped slotted configurations.
16. The system according to claim 1 , the pusher comprising a plurality of axial regions, the regions comprising materials with different flexibility.
17. The system according to claim 1 , the pusher comprising a first material along a first portion thereof, and a second material along a second portion thereof, the first material being more flexible than the second material, and where the second portion of the pusher comprises an exterior surface having a slotted configuration.
18. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a radially-expandable intraluminal prosthesis disposed in a compressed configuration within a distal portion of the sheath lumen, where the pusher is configured to push the prosthesis distally within the sheath lumen when the sheath is slid proximally in relation thereto.
19. A delivery system for an intraluminal medical device, the system comprising:
an elongate tubular sheath having a proximal end, a distal end, and a sheath lumen;
an elongate tubular pusher slidably disposed within the sheath lumen, the pusher having a proximal end, a distal end, an exterior surface, a lumen defining an interior surface, and a central core circumscribing the pusher lumen;
the pusher exterior surface comprising a slotted configuration having a plurality of fins and a plurality of interspaces separating the fins,
where there is a varying radial depth within one of the interspaces, wherein the radial depth is defined as the depth from the pusher exterior surface to the central core.
20. A delivery system for an intraluminal medical device, the system comprising:
an elongate tubular sheath having a proximal end, a distal end, and a sheath lumen;
an elongate tubular pusher slidably disposed within the sheath lumen, the pusher having a main longitudinal axis, a proximal end, a distal end, an exterior surface, a lumen defining an interior surface, and a central core circumscribing the pusher lumen;
the pusher exterior surface comprising a slotted configuration having a plurality of fins and a plurality of interspaces separating the fins,
where at least one interspace is defined by a flat inner boundary, having a width along the main longitudinal axis, that extends continuously between first and second locations along a circumferential outer perimeter of the pusher.