High pressure expander bundle for large diameter stent deployment

Claim 1

A balloon catheter for deploying larger diameter stents in peripheral blood vessels, comprising: (a) an elongated, flexible, tubular catheter body member of generally circular cross-section and having a proximal end, a distal end and a plurality of lumens extending from the proximal end to the distal end, the catheter body member including a plurality of inflation ports extending radially through a wall of the catheter body member proximate a distal end thereof and communicating with at least one of the plurality of lumens; (b) an expander member affixed to the wall of the catheter body member proximate the distal end thereof, the expander member comprising a plurality of elongated tubular extensible segments which, when inflated, are generally wedge shaped in cross-section and each span a predetermined arc of the generally circular cross-section of the catheter body member and collectively define a smooth, generally circular outer periphery of the expander member and (c) means for placing one of the plurality of inflation ports in fluid communication with the interior of selected ones of the plurality of extensible segments and another of the plurality of inflation ports in fluid communication with the interior of other selected ones of the plurality of extensible segments whereby first and second groups of the extensible segments can be selectively inflated and deflated either simultaneously or sequentially by injecting and removing an inflation fluid into and from the at least one of the plurality of lumens.