Compacted implantable medical devices and method of compacting such devices

摘要

An expandable implantable device is provided having a very small introductory profile. The small introductory profile is achieved by de-coupling the forces necessary to initially constrain the expandable device from the forces necessary to achieve full compaction of the device. As a result, the device can be made from more delicate materials that do not have to withstand overly aggressive compaction forces in order to achieve a fully compacted introductory profile.