Patent ID: 6506202
Filing Date: 2003-01-14
Classification: A61F,A61M

Abstract:
A system for enabling an interventional procedure to be performed in a blood vessel at an interventional procedure site, comprising:a catheter, including an elongated shaft which includes a distal end portion adapted to be positioned in a blood vessel at an interventional procedure site; an expandable interventional instrument, adapted to be located in the distal end portion of the catheter shaft, and to be expanded and deployed in the blood vessel at the interventional procedure site, which expandable interventional instrument includes an unexpanded axial dimension, and is adapted to be expandable in a direction generally transverse to the axial dimension thereof; and an expansion enabling element for enabling the expansion of the expandable interventional instrument, adapted to be located in the distal end portion of the catheter shaft, to be expandable within the blood vessel at the interventional procedure site in a direction generally transverse to the axial dimension thereof, to substantially adhere to the expandable interventional instrument, and to substantially retain the unexpanded axial dimension of the expandable interventional instrument upon expansion thereof, comprising a plurality of layers, including a retaining layer for substantially retaining the unexpanded axial dimension of the expandable interventional instrument upon expansion of the expansion enabling element.