Patent ID: 8992591
Filing Date: 2015-03-31
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A delivery system for an implantable medical device, comprising: a retention sheath comprising a proximal end, a distal end, and an inner lumen extending from said proximal end to said distal end, wherein said retention sheath is movable in an axial direction from a pre-deployment position to a deployment position; an implantable medical device disposed within said inner lumen of said retention sheath, said retention sheath thereby restraining said implantable medical device; a plurality of separate rings disposed within said inner lumen of said retention sheath in a stacked co-axial configuration, wherein each ring in said plurality of separate rings abuts at least a portion of an adjacent ring; an inner catheter comprising an outer surface having a diameter that is less than an inner diameter of said plurality of separate rings and a distal tip having an outer diameter that is greater than said inner diameter of said plurality of separate rings, wherein said distal tip is disposed at a distal end of said inner catheter, and said inner catheter is disposed within a space defined by said inner diameter of said plurality of separate rings; and a control device configured to be located outside of a patient's body and operated by a physician to control deployment of said implantable medical device by moving said retention sheath axially relative to said plurality of separate rings, wherein said plurality of separate rings extends to a reaction surface in said control device and is substantially non-compressible in said axial direction and a longitudinal length of said plurality of separate rings in said stacked co-axial configuration does not change when said retention sheath is moved from said pre-deployment position to said deployment position.