Patent ID: 8852257

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a balloon catheter having a distal end and including a scaffold comprising a polymer crimped to a balloon of the catheter; a sheath disposed over the scaffold, the sheath applying a radial inward force on the crimped scaffold to limit recoil of the scaffold, the sheath comprising: a protecting portion having a distal end, a constraining portion having a distal end and being disposed over the protecting portion, wherein the constraining portion distal end is distal of the catheter distal end and the protecting portion distal end, and a connector portion connecting the protecting portion and constraining portion, wherein the protecting portion, constraining portion and connector portion comprise a unitary piece of flexible polymer material, wherein the connector portion is deformed into, or shaped as a loop having one end at the constraining portion and the other end at the protecting portion such that the distal end of the protecting portion may be received within a proximal end of the constraining portion, and wherein the apparatus is configured for being passed through the body of a patient only after the sheath is removed.