Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
261 words
An integrated catheter system for performing a dilatation procedure within a vessel of a human body and for placement of a stent within that region of the vessel that underwent dilatation, the catheter system comprising: a balloon angioplasty catheter having a balloon located near the catheter's distal end, the balloon having a proximal end fixedly attached to an elongated outer tube, the balloon being able to be inflated to an inflated state and deflated to a deflated state; a first elongate cylindrical tube which is a pusher tube having a proximal end and a distal end and being adapted to move slidably over the balloon angioplasty catheter; a second elongate cylindrical tube which is an outer sheath, the pusher tube being adapted to move slidably within the outer sheath which has a sheath containment cavity containing a radially expandable stent situated near the sheath's distal end, the stent containment cavity being bounded at its distal end by a distal portion in the shape of a frustrum of a cone having a distal end that intersects the outer tube of the balloon angioplasty catheter at an acute angle, the stent containment cavity being bounded at its proximal end by the distal end of the pusher tube, the outer sheath and the pusher tube each having separate proximal pullback means adapted to lie outside the human body for pulling the sheath back relative to the pusher tube so as to release the radially expandable stent from the stent containment cavity so that the stent can be expanded radially outward against the vessel wall.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
191 words
An integrated catheter system for performing a dilatation procedure within the coronary arteries of a human body and for placement of a stent within that region of the vessel that underwent dilatation, the catheter system comprising: a balloon angioplasty catheter having a balloon located near the catheter's distal end, the balloon having a distal end and a proximal end; a pusher tube mounted coaxially over the balloon angioplasty catheter, the pusher tube being in the form of a first elongate' cylindrical tube having a proximal end and a distal end and being adapted to move slidably over the balloon angioplasty catheter; and, an outer sheath mounted coaxially over the pusher tube, the outer sheath being in the form of a second elongate cylindrical tube, the pusher tube being adapted to move slidably within the outer sheath which has a stent containment cavity containing a radially expandable stent situated near the outer sheath's distal end, the distal end of the outer sheath being adapted to be placed greater than 0.5 cm back from the proximal end of the balloon as the balloon is being advanced within the vessel of the human body.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
The catheter system of Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the balloon angioplasty catheter is of the "over-the-wire" design having a central lumen extending throughout the entire length of the balloon angioplasty catheter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
The catheter system of Claim 3,further comprising a flexible guide wire adapted to be advanced through the central lumen of the balloon angioplasty catheter.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
The catheter system or Claim 1 or any claim appended thereto, wherein the distal end of the frustrum of a cone is adapted to be moved with a snug fit over the balloon when the balloon is in its deflated state.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
The catheter system of Claim 5, wherein the conically shaped distal portion includes at least one longitudinally placed slit to allow the outer sheath to be easily pulled back over the stent and over the pusher tube.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
The catheter system of any preceding claim, wherein the pusher tube includes a radiopaque marker band at its distal end.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
The catheter system of any preceding claim, wherein the radially expandable stent is a balloon expandable stent.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The catheter system of any preceding claim, wherein the radially expandable stent is a self-expanding stent.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The catheter system of Claim 9, wherein the self-expanding stent is made from a shape memory alloy metal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
The catheter system of Claim 1 or any claim appended thereto, wherein the proximal pullback means is a Tuohy-Borst fitting.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
The catheter system of any preceding claim, wherein the integrated catheter has four separate lumens, each being accessible for flushing from the catheter's proximal end.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
The catheter system of Claim 12, wherein three of the lumens are annular passageways and the central lumen is generally of a cylindrical geometry.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
25 words
The catheter system of any preceding claim, wherein at least one radiopaque marker band is used to indicate the location of the stent containment cavity.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The catheter system of any preceding claim, further comprising a longitudinal displacement limiting means to prevent the inadvertent release of the stent beyond the distal end of the inflatable balloon.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
34 words
The catheter system of any preceding claim, further comprising a longitudinal displacement limiting means to prevent inadvertent release of the stent by disallowing inadvertent pullback of the outer sheath relative to the pusher tube.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
16 words
The catheter system of Claim 16, wherein the longitudinal displacement limiting means is a removable spacer.