Stent delivery catheter with improved stent retention and method of making same

Abstract

A stent delivery catheter system having a catheter with stent releasably mounted on a stent retention portion of the catheter for delivery and deployment within a patient's body lumen, and a method of mounting the stent on the stent retention portion of the catheter. The method generally includes exposing the stent retention portion and/or the stent to a solvent, the solvent being in the vapor phase. The vapor phase solvent typically softens the stent retention portion of the catheter, and/or, in one embodiment in which the stent has a coating on the stent body, the vapor phase solvent softens the stent coating. In a presently preferred embodiment, the stent polymeric coating has a therapeutic agent, and the method of the invention prevents or inhibits disadvantageously affecting the therapeutic agent coating during mounting of the stent on the catheter.

1 - 25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . A stent delivery balloon catheter system, comprising:
 a balloon catheter having an elongated shaft with an inflation lumen and a balloon sealingly secured to the shaft with an interior in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, the balloon having a noninflated condition which inflates to an inflated condition; and   a stent releasably mounted on the noninflated balloon for delivery and deployment within a patient's body lumen, the stent comprising a body and a polymeric coating on the body, and the noninflated balloon having an outer surface releasably adhered directly to an inner surface of the stent.   
     
     
         27 . The stent delivery catheter system of  claim 26  wherein the stent polymeric coating has a therapeutic agent, and the therapeutic agent polymeric coating defines the inner surface of the stent releasably adhered to the outer surface of the balloon. 
     
     
         28 . The stent delivery catheter system of  claim 27  wherein the therapeutic agent polymeric coating of the stent releasably adhered to the balloon has a therapeutic agent release rate which is the same or substantially the same as a therapeutic agent release rate of the coated stent prior to mounting and adhering to the balloon. 
     
     
         29 . The stent delivery catheter system of  claim 27  wherein the therapeutic agent polymeric coating of the stent releasably adhered to the balloon has a therapeutic agent concentration which is the same or substantially the same as a therapeutic agent concentration of the coated stent prior to mounting and adhering to the balloon. 
     
     
         30 . The stent delivery catheter system of  claim 27  wherein the therapeutic agent polymeric coating of the stent releasably adhered to the balloon has a therapeutic agent distribution which is the same or substantially the same as a therapeutic agent distribution of the coated stent prior to mounting on the balloon. 
     
     
         31 . The stent delivery catheter system of  claim 26  wherein the balloon in the inflated condition is not adhered to the stent, the inflated condition being at a pressure within a working pressure range of the balloon. 
     
     
         32 . The stent delivery catheter system of  claim 26  wherein the stent mounted on the noninflated balloon comprises interconnected spaced-apart struts, and portions of the noninflated balloon protrude in the spaces between adjacent struts of the mounted stent. 
     
     
         33 . The stent delivery catheter system of  claim 26  wherein the stent mounted on the noninflated balloon comprises interconnected spaced-apart struts, and spaces between adjacent struts are free or substantially free of the noninflated balloon.