Patent ID: 8740963

Claim:
A method of implanting a prosthesis in a patient at a treatment site, comprising the steps of: a) axially locking an apex release lumen, a sheath lumen and a curved guidewire lumen located within the apex release lumen with respect to an outer catheter, wherein an inner sheath extends from a distal end of the sheath lumen and radially about the prosthesis, at least one of the apex release lumen and the sheath lumen constraining a proximal stent of the prosthesis and wherein the apex release lumen is within the sheath lumen and the sheath lumen is within the outer catheter; b) rotationally locking the apex release lumen, the sheath lumen and the curved guidewire lumen, whereby they rotate together and independently of the outer catheter; c) threading the apex release lumen, the sheath lumen and the curved guidewire lumen onto a guidewire and directing the apex release lumen, the sheath lumen and the curved guidewire lumen into a patient to place the outer catheter in an aorta of the patient at a point distal to the treatment site at a distance that is greater than the length of the prosthesis; d) axially unlocking the apex release lumen, the sheath lumen and the curved guidewire lumen with respect to the outer catheter; e) advancing the apex release lumen, the sheath lumen and the curved guidewire lumen distally out of the outer catheter in the aorta toward the patient's heart whereby the advancement of the apex release lumen, the sheath lumen and the curved guidewire lumen causes rotation of the prosthesis to thereby rotationally align the prosthesis at the treatment site, thereby delivering the prosthesis to the treatment site in proper rotational alignment; and f) axially locking the apex release lumen and the curved guidewire lumen relative to the outer catheter, whereby the sheath lumen can move axially relative to the apex release lumen and the outer catheter; and g) retracting the inner sheath in a proximal direction to at least partially implant the prosthesis in the vessel.