Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Avegel Hernando

Farhad Khosravi

Lilip Lau

William M Hartigan

Michael S Williams

A stent loading mechanism for automatically loading a stent onto a balloon delivery catheter of the kind used in typical percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures. The device comprises a tubular member housing an elongated elastic bladder that surrounds the stent to be loaded. The distal end of the balloon catheter assembly and the stent are placed inside the tubular member and the bladder is inflated to compress and affix the stent onto the outside of the catheter assembly.

Stent loading mechanism

The method for mounting an intravascular stent on the distal end of a catheter. The stent-loading device includes at least two substantially flat surfaces, that are parallel to each other, and that have relative sliding movement while remaining parallel. A stent is placed on the distal end of a catheter and positioned between the substantially flat surfaces which are then moved in an orthogonal direction relative to each other while simultaneous compressive force is applied to the stent. The stent is progressively crimped onto the catheter.

Method for mounting an intravascular stent on a catheter

A stent-loading mechanism for loading a stent onto a balloon delivery catheter of the kind typically used in typical percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures. The device comprises a series of plates having substantially flat and parallel surfaces that move in a rectilinear fashion with respect to each another. A stent carrying catheter can be disposed between these surfaces to affix the stent onto the outside of the catheter by relative motion between the plates. The plates have multiple degrees of freedom and may have force-indicating transducers to measure and indicate the force applied to the catheter during affixation of the stent.

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Union City, CA, United States of America

Avegel Hernando