Patent ID: 8262718

Claim:
A stent graft introducer comprising a deployment catheter and a handle assembly; the deployment catheter comprising a pusher, a stent graft releasably retained onto the pusher, a temporary stent graft retention arrangement, a sheath coaxially around the pusher and enclosing the stent graft and a sheath hub to which the sheath is mounted; the handle assembly comprising, a handle, a first slide and a second slide, the first slide able to slide to retract within the second slide and the second slide able to slide to retract within the handle, the first slide including a releasable engagement arrangement to engage and retain the sheath hub thereon, a first removable stop arrangement engaged between the handle and the second slide to prevent relative movement thereof, the pusher extending longitudinally through the first and second slides and being mounted to the handle, the temporary stent graft retention arrangement including trigger wires extending through the pusher and being affixed to the second slide; whereby movement of the first slide with respect to the second slide moves the sheath hub and thereby the sheath on the pusher to expose the stent graft until the first slide engages against the first removable stop arrangement, the first removable stop arrangement being automatically actuated by engagement of the first slide with the first removable stop arrangement to disengage the first removable stop arrangement from the handle and whereupon removal of the first removable stop arrangement the second slide can move with respect to the handle thereby withdrawing the trigger wires and releasing the temporary stent graft retention arrangement.