Patent ID: 8123793

Claim:
A method of crimping a stent onto a balloon of a stent delivery catheter, the method comprising: providing a crimping apparatus; loading a stent onto a balloon of a stent delivery catheter; wherein the stent includes: a first portion of interconnected struts located at a first end of the stent, the first portion of interconnected struts defining interstices between adjacent interconnected struts of the first portion; a second portion of interconnected struts located at a second end of the stent, the second portion of interconnected struts defining interstices between adjacent interconnected struts of the second portion; and a third portion of interconnected struts located intermediate the first portion and the second portion, the third portion of interconnected struts defining interstices between adjacent interconnected struts of the third portion; positioning the stent and the balloon of the stent delivery catheter within the crimping apparatus; pressurizing the balloon to an inflation pressure in the range of about 0.4 atmospheres to about 4 atmospheres subsequent to loading the stent onto the balloon; applying a radially compressive force to the stent to crimp the stent onto the balloon while the balloon is pressurized to an inflation pressure in the range of about 0.4 atmospheres to about 4 atmospheres; releasing the pressure within the balloon while the radially compressive force remains applied to the stent; and releasing the radially compressive force from the stent after the pressure is released from within the balloon; wherein upon conclusion of the crimping process balloon material extends radially outward within the interstices of the first portion of the stent proximate the first end of the stent, and wherein balloon material extends radially outward within the interstices of the second portion of the stent proximate the second end of the stent.