Stent holding member and stent feeding system

1. A stent holding member used in a stent delivery system adapted to introduce a stent of a cylindrical configuration, designed to be implanted in a living body, to a desired site of implantation in a vessel thereof, the stent holding member comprising:

a tubular holder formed of a unitary elastic material, the tubular holder being mounted to the outer peripheral surface of a balloon of said stent delivery system prior to said stent being mounted to said tubular holder;

said tubular holder having a groove in its outer peripheral portion for holding one or more supporting struts making up said stent, the groove being arranged for embedding each of said struts at least partially in said groove to hold the stent, said groove being formed to a width narrower than the outer diameter of said struts when the tubular holder is in a contracted state; and

wherein said groove is arranged to have its opening end side expanded by expansion of said tubular holder along the radial direction to release the holding of the stent in the groove to enable the stent to be released from the tubular holder.

2. The stent holding member according to claim 1 , further comprising an outer peripheral portion of said tubular holder, wherein said stent holding member holds a stent using said outer peripheral portion of said tubular holder by embedding said struts in said groove.

3. The stent holding member according to claim 1 wherein said tubular holder is formed of one or more selected from the group consisting of elastic synthetic resins, natural resins and silicone resins.

4. The stent holding member according to claim 1 wherein said tubular holder is formed of silicone resins exhibiting tackiness.

5. The stent holding member according to claim 1 wherein said tubular holder is formed by layering two or more tubular members having different values of modulus of elasticity.

6. The stent holding member according to claim 5 wherein the outer tubular member of said tubular holder is formed of a silicone resin.

7. The stent holding member according to claim 1 , wherein said stent holding member holds a self-expandable stent which is contracted by applying an external pressure to said self-expandable stent and said stent holding member dilates said self-expandable stent when releasing said external pressure.

8. The stent holding member according to claim 1 wherein stent holding member holds a balloon expandable type stent.

9. The stent holding member according to claim 1 wherein said grooves in said outer peripheral portion of said tubular holder are formed to hold a tubular fiber of a biodegradable polymer which forms the strut.

10. The stent holding member according to claim 1 , further comprising an anti-thrombotic agent deposited on the surface of said holder.

11. A stent delivery system adapted to introduce a stent of a cylindrical configuration designed to be implanted in a living body, to a desired site of implantation in a vessel thereof, the stent delivery system comprising:

a catheter to be inserted into a vessel of a living body;

a balloon provided to a distal end of said catheter and expanded by a fluid supplied into the inside of said catheter; and

the stent holding member according to any one of claims 1 and 2 - 10 , provided to said catheter for covering said balloon.

12. The stent delivery system according to claim 11 wherein said stent holding member releases and dilates said stent from said stent holding member by expansion of said holder along the radial direction brought about by expansion of said balloon.

13. The stent delivery system according to claim 11 wherein said stent holding member is mounted to said catheter, covering said balloon by having both ends bonded to said catheter.