Loading and delivery of self-expanding stents
A method of deploying a stent includes providing a delivery system with the stent loaded in a reduced diameter configuration between an inner catheter and an outer sheath, the stent including a covering positioned on a luminal wall surface thereof, the inner catheter including a radially outwardly extending protrusion that extends into the covering but does not intersect a plane along the stent luminal wall surface, advancing the delivery system to a stenting site, and withdrawing the outer sheath to deploy the stent at the stenting site.
1. A method comprising:
providing a delivery system comprising:
providing a covered stent comprising:
a stent having a lumen and a plurality of struts with apertures between the struts;
luminal and abluminal covers comprising a material wherein the covers are spaced apart by the stent,
inserting a pusher and the stent into a delivery sheath; and
withdrawing the pusher from the lumen inside the delivery sheath by unscrewing the stent pusher;
followed by
advancing the delivery system to a stenting site;
and
withdrawing the outer sheath to deploy the stent.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the abluminal and luminal covers connect to each other through the apertures.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the providing a covered stent step further comprises providing a stent pusher in the lumen having protrusions along a length of the pusher.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the protrusions extend radially less than as far as an outer plane of a stent wall.
5. The method of claim 3 wherein the protrusions extend radially less than as far as an inner plane of a stent wall.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein inserting the pusher and the compressed stent into a delivery sheath further comprises applying an endwise force on the pusher so that the material transfers the force from the protrusions to the struts.
7. The method of claim 4 wherein the protrusions comprise a wire helically arranged along a length of the pusher.
8. The method of claim 4 wherein the protrusions sit helically along the length of the lumen.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the protrusions sit helically along a length of the pusher.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein spacing between the protrusions along the length of the lumen is random.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein inserting the pusher and the compressed stent into a delivery sheath further comprises applying an endwise force on the pusher so that the material transfers the force from the protrusions to the struts.