Patent ID: 7611529

Claim:
A thoracic stent graft delivery system for positioning a thoracic aorta stent graft into a thoracic aortic arch of a patient, the delivery system comprising; a tubular central carrier having a distal end and a proximal end; a longitudinal lumen through the tubular central carrier; a guide wire catheter extending through the longitudinal lumen having a distal end and a proximal end; a nose cone dilator attached to and positioned at the proximal end of the guide wire catheter, the nose cone dilator having one or more apertures extending longitudinally therein; a capsule having a passageway extending therein with a distal closed end attached to the tubular carrier and an opening proximal end facing the nose cone dilator, the capsule being axially moveable along the guide wire catheter with respect to the nose cone dilator; a stent graft having a distal end and a proximal end positioned distal to the nose cone dilator; and, a first retention arrangement on the guide wire catheter for the proximal end of the stent graft, the first retention arrangement being distal to the nose cone dilator; wherein the system having a curved proximal end and having a radius of curvature of from 70 to 150 mm for approximating the thoracic aortic arch of the patient so as not to put excessive load on a wall of the thoracic aortic arch when positioned therein, and wherein the delivery system further comprises one or more proximal trigger wires extending longitudinally along the tubular carrier and independently extendable into the one or more apertures of the nose cone dilator.