Delivery Mechanism for Implantable Stent

Abstract

A system including a longitudinally elongated housing, a member for incremental rotation of a screw, which moves the screw longitudinally, and a longitudinal sheath connected to the screw. The system has a delivery configuration in which a sheath covers a stent bed, and a deployed configuration in which the sheath does not cover the stent bed because manipulation of the member has rotated the screw, which has moved the screw longitudinally, pulling the sheath off of the stent bed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 a longitudinally elongated housing with:
 a longitudinally passageway; 
 a collar coaxially outside of the passageway; 
 a drive knob between the collar and the passageway having a longitudinal length; 
 a longitudinally internally threaded nut coaxial within the drive knob; and 
 a longitudinally externally threaded screw coaxial within the nut; 
   a member for incremental rotation of the screw, which moves the screw longitudinally;   a longitudinal sheath connected to the screw;   a tube with a distal end and a proximal end extending through the sheath;   a tip having a distal end and a proximal end near the tube distal end;   a stop coaxial with the tube; and   a stent bed on the tube between the stop and the tip distal end;   wherein the system has:
 a delivery configuration in which the sheath covers the bed, and 
 a deployed configuration in which the sheath does not cover the bed because manipulation of the member has rotated the screw, which has moved the screw longitudinally, pulling the sheath off of the bed. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the tip distal end is rounded. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein a mid-region of the tip is approximately as wide as the inside diameter of the distal end of the sheath. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the tip is radiopaque. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the tip surrounds the tube distal end. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the proximal end of the sheath connects to a flush port. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising a guidewire lumen inside of the tube. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the stop comprises a polymeric material. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the stop comprises a metal or alloy. 
     
     
         10 . A method comprising:
 providing:
 a stent; and 
 a system comprising:
 a longitudinally elongated housing with:
 a longitudinally passageway; 
 a collar coaxially outside of the passageway; 
 a drive knob between the collar and the passage-way having a longitudinal length; 
 a longitudinally internally threaded nut coaxial within the drive knob; and 
 a longitudinally externally threaded screw coaxial within the nut; 
 
 a member for incremental screw rotation, which moves the screw longitudinally; 
 a longitudinal sheath connected to the screw; 
 a tube with a distal end and a proximal end extending through the sheath ; 
 a tip having a distal end and a proximal end near the tube distal end; 
 a stop coaxial with the tube; and 
 a stent bed on the tube between the stop and the tip distal end; 
 wherein the system has:
 a delivery configuration in which the sheath covers the bed, and 
 a deployed configuration in which the sheath does not cover the bed because manipulation of the member has rotated the screw, which has moved the screw longitudinally, pulling the sheath off of the bed; 
 
 wherein the stent is on the stent bed; 
 
 inserting a distal end of the system into a body vessel and positioning the system at a desired location; and 
   moving the member to retract the sheath distal end to a position proximal of the stent.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the moving step includes maintaining the tube in a fixed position. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising the step of moving a tube distal end through a stent lumen stent to adjacent the distal end of the sheath. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the tip is radiopaque, and the inserting step includes monitoring the tip to position the tip at a desired location. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the moving step includes incrementally retracting the distal end of the sheath.