Device for implanting a medical prosthesis in a duct of a human or animal body

Claim 1

A device kit for implanting a medical assembly in a duct of a human or animal body, said duct having an axis, said device comprising: a tubular implantation sheath adapted for containing said assembly to be implanted, said sheath having a length along an axial line, a distal end, an internal diameter, and being flexible at least over a part of its length; a hollow tube for controlling movement of the assembly in said sheath, said tube being at least partly flexible, and having external and internal diameters, the external diameter of the tube being less than the internal diameter of said sheath, for being slidingly inserted therein; and a resiliently deformable centering cable having (a) a naturally curved axial line: (b) a length along the axial line, said length being less than that of the sheath; and (c) an external diameter which is slightly less than said internal diameter of said hollow tube; so that the cable is adapted to be inserted axially in the hollow tube in a constrained state, and to slide coaxially therein for exerting, through said hollow tube and because of its natural curved line, an internal force on the flexible part of the sheath, tending, by reaction and as a function of the insertion of said cable and said tube in the sheath, to act on the profile of the axial line of said sheath and vary the direction of its distal end.

Claim 2

A device kit for implanting a medical assembly in a duct of a human or animal body, said duct having an axis, said device comprising: a tubular implantation sheath adapted for containing said assembly to be implanted, said sheath having a length along an axial line, a distal end, an internal diameter, and being flexible at least over a part of its length; a hollow tube for controlling movement of the assembly in said sheath, said tube being at least partly flexible, and having external and internal diameters, the external diameter of the tube being less than the internal diameter of said sheath, for being slidingly inserted therein; and a resiliently deformable centering cable having (a) a naturally curved axial line: (b) a length along the axial line, said length being less than that of the sheath; and (c) an external diameter which is slightly less than said internal diameter of said hollow tube; so that the cable is adapted to be inserted axially in the hollow tube in a constrained state, and to slide coaxially therein for exerting, through said hollow tube and because of its natural curved line, an internal force on the flexible part of the sheath, tending, by reaction and as a function of the insertion of said cable and said tube in the sheath, to act on the profile of the axial line of said sheath and vary the direction of its distal end.

Claim 9

A device for implanting a medical assembly in a duct of a human or animal body, said duct having an axis, the device comprising: a tubular implantation sheath containing said assembly to be implanted, the sheath having a length along an axial line, a proximal end and a distal end, and being flexible at least over a part of its length; a hollow tube for controlling movement of the assembly in the sheath, said tube being at least partly flexible, and being slidably inserted in the sheath, through the proximal end thereof, to slide coaxially therein with a slight radial play; a resiliently deformable centering cable having a naturally curved axial line, said cable being slidably inserted in the hollow tube, to slide coaxially therein with a slight radial play for exerting, through the hollow tube and because of the natural curved line of the cable, an internal force on the flexible part of the sheath, so as to act, as a function of the insertion of the cable in the hollow tube and of the hollow tube in the sheath, on the profile of the axial line of the sheath and vary the direction of the distal end thereof; and means for preventing the cable from extending beyond the distal end of the sheath.

Claim 10

A device for implanting a medical assembly in a duct of a human or animal body, said duct having an axis, the device comprising: a tubular implantation sheath containing said assembly to be implanted, the sheath having a length along an axial line, a proximal end and a distal end, and being flexible at least over a part of its length; a hollow tube for controlling movement of the assembly in the sheath, said tube being at least partly flexible, and being slidably inserted in the sheath, through the proximal end thereof, to slide coaxially therein with a slight radial play; a resiliently deformable centering cable having a naturally curved axial line, said cable being slidably inserted in the hollow tube, to slide coaxially therein with a slight radial play for exerting, through the hollow tube and because of the natural curved line of the cable, an internal force on the flexible part of the sheath, so as to act, as a function of the insertion of the cable in the hollow tube and of the hollow tube in the sheath, on the profile of the axial line of the sheath and vary the direction of the distal end thereof; and means for preventing the cable from extending beyond the distal end of the sheath.