Patent ID: 6143021
Filing Date: 2000-11-07
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
An instrument for use by a surgeon to place within and remove from a patient's lumen a stent aligned along an axis, the instrument comprising:a thumb loop for manipulation by a surgeon, the thumb loop having an open center into which the surgeon's thumb may fit when it is normal to the axis;an arm extending tangentially from the thumb loop, the arm in a plane with the axis, the arm having at least one bore in alignment with the axis;a tab extending from the arm along the axis and from the thumb loop so the arm, tab and thumb loop reside substantially in the plane with one another and the axis;a finger ring for manipulation by a surgeon, the finger ring centrally open to receive the surgeon's finger;a limb extending tangentially from the finger ring and attached thereto, the limb having an axially aligned hole so the hole, finger ring and the limb may be positioned in the plane with the axis;a front bracket extending from the tab over and in front of the limb;a tube to support the stent located for extending therefrom, the tube for coaxial deposition about the axis, into the bore and the hole, the tube for locating the finger ring forward of the thumb loop for ergonomic use by the surgeon in a sliding action of the finger ring relative to the tube when guided along axis;a stent end on the tube opposite where the tube fits into the bore, the stent end gripping the stent in the sheath for delivery;a sheath for sliding along the stent end on the tube, the sheath extending from the hole along the axis and toward the stent end, the sheath coaxially disposed about the tube;a cavity in the sheath beyond the stent end on the tube, the cavity for accommodating the stent being carried along the axis cantilever from the stent end on the tube; a shaft positioned in the plane attached to the front bracket, the shaft generally parallel to the axis, the shaft conjugating with the limb and arm to prevent relative rotary motion between them with respect to the axis;an axial control fit within the arm for selective movement by the surgeon relative to the shaft, the axial control for adjusting the axial position of the shaft relative to the arm for setting the axial position of the shaft with respect to the arm to thereby adjust the instrument for stents of various lengths;a latch on the front bracket to secure the relative axial positions of the limb and the front bracket, the latch to selectively permit the surgeon to move the sheath relative to the tube for loading and thereafter delivering the stent, anda catch on the tab to prevent complete release of the stent from the tube without the prior manual release of the catch thus permitting the finger ring to fully approach the thumb loop.