Patent ID: 8257420

Claim:
A stent delivery catheter system, comprising a) an elongated delivery catheter having an inner tubular member, a stent holder region, a guidewire lumen-defining tubular member extending within at least a distal section of the inner tubular member, a distal tip at a distal end of the guidewire lumen-defining tubular member, an outer tubular member which has a stent restraining region and which is adapted for axial movement with respect to the stent holder region to transition from an advanced configuration surrounding the stent holder region to a proximally retracted configuration, and having a reinforcing tether member secured to the inner tubular member, which has a distal end length extending helically in the distal tip member or proximally adjacent to the proximal end of the distal tip member, and a substantially axially aligned section which extends substantially straight from the proximal end of the helical end length and through the stent holder region such that the tether member is configured to enhance the tensile strength of the catheter; and b) a self-expanding stent which is in a collapsed configuration surrounding the stent holder region of the catheter with the catheter outer tubular member in the advanced configuration, and which is configured to be deployed by radially self-expanding from the collapsed configuration upon movement of the catheter outer tubular member to the retracted configuration.