Patent ID: 8715333

Claim:
A method of preparing a vascular implant for subsequent deployment into a blood vessel, the implant having an implant body and a tether connected to the implant body, the method comprising: moving the implant body from a first position in a proximal portion of a sheath that is sized and configured for percutaneous insertion into a blood vessel, distally along and within a lumen of the sheath, to a second position in a distal portion of the sheath lumen; wherein moving the implant body to the second position comprises drawing a portion of the tether proximally by applying force to the tether at a location outside of the sheath and proximal of the second position; wherein moving the implant body to the second position comprises compressing the implant body while advancing it from the first position into a proximal portion of the sheath lumen; and wherein the implant body is self-expanding, and the implant body is in an expanded condition when in the first position.