Patent ID: 7393358

Claim:
A medical device comprising: a catheter, the catheter having a catheter shaft, a portion of the catheter shaft defining a stent receiving region; a sheath, a portion of the sheath defining a stent retaining region, the stent retaining region being disposed about the catheter shaft and being longitudinally moveable relative thereto, the retaining region being moveable between a fully extended position and a fully retracted position, in the fully extended position the retaining region being disposed about an entire length the stent receiving region, in the fully retracted position the sheath being removed from the stent receiving region; a stent, the stent being expandable from a reduced state to an expanded state, wherein the stent has a proximal edge, a distal edge and a length measured from between the proximal edge and distal edge, a proximal section of the stent defining about a half of the length of the stent as measured from the proximal edge, in the reduced state the stent having a diameter less than the diameter in the expanded state, when the sheath is in the fully extended position the stent is in the reduced state disposed about the stent receiving region; and a rolling membrane, the rolling membrane comprising an inner fold and an outer fold, a portion of the rolling membrane being engaged to a portion of the sheath at an engagement region, the rolling membrane being positioned between the catheter shaft and the sheath, in the fully extended position the inner fold surrounding only the proximal section of the stent, in the fully retracted position the inner fold being removed from about the proximal section of the stent.