Patent ID: 8470014

Claim:
A medical assembly comprising: a nonbiodegradable stent; a catheter comprising an expandable member having the stent positioned on the expandable member, the member capable of being expanded from a collapsed profile to an expanded profile; and an apparatus for releasably connecting the stent to the member such that in response to the expansion of the member, the nonbiodegradable stent is detached from the member, wherein the apparatus comprises: a cylindrical heating element that is placed between the stent and the expandable member when the stent is disposed around the expandable member, wherein the heating element applies heat to the stent and/or expandable member, wherein the cylindrical heating element is removable to allow releasably connecting the stent to the expandable member, a pressurizing structure that is placed around the stent disposed around the expandable member to apply inward radial pressure to the stent in conjunction with heat from the heating element to releasably connect the stent to the expandable member.