Patent ID: 7887573

Claim:
An introducer, having a retrograde portion and an anterograde portion, for deployment of an endoluminal device in a body lumen in a distal location from a proximal location, the device having a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration, the introducer comprising: a shaft having a distal tip; an inner sheath mounted concentrically over the shaft, wherein the endoluminal device is mounted concentrically over the inner sheath in the compressed configuration; an anterograde sheath attached proximally to the distal tip, mounted over at least a distal portion of the endoluminal device in the anterograde portion of the introducer, the anterograde sheath having an open proximal end such that distal movement of the anterograde sheath unsheathes the portion of the endoluminal device contained thereunder; anchoring means, comprising an inflatable balloon, in only the retrograde portion configured to: engage an anchor only a proximal portion of the endoluminal device against the body lumen during the unsheathing of a distal portion of the endoluminal device; and minimize relative axial movement between the engaged and anchored proximal portion of the device and the body lumen during unsheathing of the distal portion of the endoluminal device; and a proximally retractable retrograde sheath mounted concentrically over the shaft and inner sheath in the retrograde portion of the introducer and extending distally over a retrograde portion of the endoluminal device, wherein the retrograde sheath and the anterograde sheath are laterally spaced from one another at least when the retrograde sheath is proximally retracted.