Stent delivery system

Claim 1

A system allowing the rapid delivery through a patient's body lumen of an expandable stent over an in-place guidewire (26), the system having an elongated sheath (10) with proximal and distal ends, which protects the stent during delivery and which is remotely removable from the stent to allow deployment of the same; a first inner lumen (11) extending between the proximal end and the distal end of the sheath (10), the lumen and sheath defining a sheath end port (17) in the distal end, the port (17) being in fluid communication with the first inner lumen (11); an elongated catheter (12) with proximal and distal ends, disposed within the first inner lumen (11) of the sheath (10), the catheter having a expandable member (14) proximally adjacent to its distal end, the expandable member (14) being adapted to receive about the exterior thereof an expandable stent (16), the catheter further having an inflation inner lumen (27) in fluid communication with the interior of the expandable member (14), and a guidewire inner lumen (22) extending between a point proximal of the proximal end of the expandable member to the distal end of the catheter (12), the guidewire lumen (22) and the distal end of the catheter defining a catheter end port (20) in fluid communication with both the guidewire inner lumen (22) and the sheath inner lumen (11); and means (15) to adjust the axial position of the sheath (10) with respect to the position of the catheter (12), operable remotely from the patient, the adjustment means allowing the stent (16) to be disposed on the expandable member (14) to be exposed to the interior of the body lumen, at which point the stent can be expanded and deployed by inflation of the expandable member; the system being characterized in that: the lumen (11) includes a sheath sidewall port (18) cut out of the sheath at a distance proximal of the sheath end port, the sheath sidewall port (18) being in fluid communication with the first inner lumen (11); and the guidewire lumen (22) includes a catheter sidewall port (21) cut out thereof at a distance proximally of the expandable member, the catheter sidewall port (21) being in fluid communication with both the guidewire inner lumen (22) and the sheath inner lumen (11), the catheter sidewall port (21) in the catheter and tile sheath sidewall port (18) in the sheath (10) cooperating to allow the delivery system to be rapidly advanced over the in-place guidewire (26).

Claim 3

The system of claims 1 or 2, further characterized by a slit (23) is disposed between the catheter end port (20) and the catheter sidewall port (21).

Claim 4

The system of any one of the preceding claims, further characterized in that the adjustment means includes a manipulator (15) comprising: an elongated housing (31) having proximal and distal ends and an interior chamber; a cap (33) having a threaded passageway therethrough and which is rotatably mounted on an end of the elongated housing (31); and a longitudinally moveable drive member (34) having a threaded exterior, which is disposed at least partially within the interior chamber of the elongated housing, and further having a distal end extending through the central passageway of the cap (33), rotation of the cap causing movement of the axial movement of the drive member (34).

Claim 7

The system of claims 5 or 6, further characterized in that the sheath (10) is fixed to the distal end of the longitudinally movable drive member (34) extending out of the distal end of the manipulator (15).

Claim 8

The system of any one of the preceding claims, further characterized by an expandable stent (16) mounted about the exterior of the expandable member (14).