Elephant Trunk Thoracic Endograft and Delivery System

Abstract

A delivery system for delivering a device within a body lumen. The delivery system includes a self-expanding stent/graft composite prosthesis and a deployment device. The deployment device includes an outer sheath which overlies the graft, and a stent retaining means for maintaining the one end of the stent in a radially compressed state. The outer sheath is retractable with respect to the graft, and the stent retaining means is removable to allow the stent end to radially expand. The deployment device may further include an inner sheath to overlie the composite and is retractable with respect to the composite. An endoluminal prosthesis including a graft attached to one stent and a second stent unattached within the graft lumen.

1 . A prosthesis delivery system comprising:
 a self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis with a first end, a second end and a length therebetween; and   a deployment device comprising:
 an elongated outer sheath, the elongated outer sheath overlying the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis and maintaining the first end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis in a radially compressed state, said elongated outer sheath being retractable with respect to the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis for radial self-expansion of the first end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis from the radially compressed state upon retraction of the elongated outer sheath; and 
 a retaining member, the retaining member overlying and maintaining the second end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis in a radially compressed state, the second end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis being positioned inside the retaining member, the retaining member being independently retractable from the second end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis for radial self-expansion of the second end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis from the radially compressed state upon retraction of the retaining member; 
 wherein only the elongated outer sheath maintains the first end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis in the radially compressed state and only the stent-graft retaining member maintains the second end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis in the radially compressed state, and the retaining member and the elongated outer sheath are retractable in opposite directions. 
   
     
     
         2 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis includes either a wire stent in a continuous helical pattern or a stent with individual rings linked together. 
     
     
         3 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the stent of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis forms the second end of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis and has a length greater than a length of the graft of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis. 
     
     
         4 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the stent and graft of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis are secured to one another by sutures. 
     
     
         5 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis comprises a stent at least partially formed of a material with memory properties based on temperature. 
     
     
         6 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 5 , wherein the material is nitinol. 
     
     
         7 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis comprises a stent at least partially formed by cutting a pattern from a tube. 
     
     
         8 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis comprises a stent at least partially formed by etching a pattern from a tube. 
     
     
         9 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , the elongated outer sheath having a greater longitudinal length than the retaining member. 
     
     
         10 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein the elongated outer sheath and the retaining member are side by side so that the elongated outer sheath does not overlap the retaining member. 
     
     
         11 . The prosthesis delivery system of  claim 1 , wherein an entirety of the length of the self-expandable stent-graft prosthesis is maintained in the radially compressed state by the elongated outer sheath and the retaining member. 
     
     
         12 . A delivery system comprising:
 an elongated outer sheath, the elongated outer sheath having a sheath length, the elongated outer sheath being retractable in a first direction;   a retaining member, the retaining member having a member length less than the sheath length, the retaining member being positioned longitudinally adjacent to the elongated outer sheath, the retaining member being retractable in a second direction opposite the first direction;   a stent-graft having a first end, a second end, and a length therebetween, the stent-graft having a radially compressed state;   wherein an entirety of the length of the stent-graft is maintained in the radially compressed state by the elongated outer sheath and the retaining member with the first end of the stent-graft being maintained in the radially compressed state only by the elongated outer sheath and the second end of the stent-graft being maintained in the radially compressed state only by the retaining member.   
     
     
         13 . The delivery system of  claim 12 , wherein an entire length of the retaining member is retracted in the second direction. 
     
     
         14 . The delivery system of  claim 12 , the stent-graft being self-expandable. 
     
     
         15 . The delivery system of  claim 12 , wherein the stent and graft are secured to one another by sutures. 
     
     
         16 . The delivery system of  claim 12 , wherein the stent-graft comprises a stent at least partially formed of a material with memory properties based on temperature. 
     
     
         17 . The delivery system of  claim 16 , wherein the material is nitinol. 
     
     
         18 . The delivery system of  claim 12 , wherein the stent-graft comprises a stent at least partially formed by cutting a pattern from a tube. 
     
     
         19 . The delivery system of  claim 12 , wherein the stent-graft comprises a stent at least partially formed by etching a pattern from a tube. 
     
     
         20 . The delivery system of  claim 12 , wherein the stent-graft includes either a wire stent in a continuous helical pattern or a stent with individual rings linked together. 
     
     
         21 . The delivery system of  claim 12 , wherein the stent forms the second end of the stent-graft and has a length greater than a length of the graft. 
     
     
         22 . A delivery system for a stent-graft, the stent-graft having a first end, a second end and a length therebetween, the delivery system comprising:
 an elongated outer sheath, the elongated outer sheath being retractable from the stent-graft in a first direction;   a retaining member positioned longitudinally adjacent to the elongated outer sheath, the retaining member being retractable from the stent-graft in a second direction opposite the first direction;   the delivery system having a first configuration wherein:
 both the elongated outer sheath and the retaining member maintain an entirety of the length of the stent-graft in a radially compressed state with only the elongated outer sheath maintaining the first end of the stent-graft in the radially compressed state and only the stent-graft retaining member maintaining the second end of the stent-graft in the radially compressed state; 
 wherein the delivery system is in the first configuration. 
   
     
     
         23 . The delivery system of  claim 22 , the delivery system configured to have:
 a second configuration wherein only a portion of the stent-graft is in a radially compressed state with only the retaining member maintaining the stent-graft in a radially compressed state.   
     
     
         24 . The delivery system of  claim 22 , the stent-graft being self-expandable. 
     
     
         25 . The delivery system of  claim 22 , wherein the stent-graft comprises a stent at least partially formed of a material with memory properties based on temperature. 
     
     
         26 . The delivery system of  claim 25 , wherein the material is nitinol. 
     
     
         27 . The delivery system of  claim 22 , wherein the stent-graft comprises a stent at least partially formed by cutting a pattern from a tube. 
     
     
         28 . The delivery system of  claim 22 , wherein the stent-graft comprises a stent at least partially formed by etching a pattern from a tube. 
     
     
         29 . The delivery system of  claim 22 , wherein the stent-graft includes either a wire stent in a continuous helical pattern or a stent with individual rings linked together. 
     
     
         30 . The delivery system of  claim 22 , wherein the stent of the stent-graft forms the second end of the stent-graft and has a length greater than a length of the graft of the stent-graft.