Patent ID: 7578838

Claim:
A medical system comprising: an implantable medical device; and a delivery system comprising: a shaft comprising an outer circumference with a helical raised region and an interposed helical recessed region, said helical raised and recessed regions disposed along a distal portion of said shaft; a sheath comprising an inner circumference with a longitudinal raised region and an interposed longitudinal recessed region, said longitudinal raised and recessed regions disposed along a distal portion of said sheath; wherein said outer circumference of said shaft is adapted to be disposed within said inner circumference of said sheath, said helical raised region of said shaft having a smaller outer diameter than an inner diameter of said raised longitudinal region of said sheath, said shaft thereby being longitudinally moveable within said sheath without rotating either of said shaft or said sheath; and wherein said implantable medical device is receivable between said shaft and said sheath, said helical raised and recessed regions of said shaft engaging an inner surface of said implantable medical device and said longitudinal raised and recessed regions of said sheath engaging an outer surface of said implantable medical device; wherein relative rotational movement between said shaft and said sheath, without any relative axial movement between said shaft and said sheath, is capable of causing said implantable medical device to move longitudinally relative to said shaft over a distance at least an entire length of said implantable medical device with substantially no relative rotational movement between said implantable medical device and said sheath; wherein said implantable medical device may be released from a distal end of said delivery system.