COVER SLEEVE AND APPARATUS FOR LOADING MATERIAL INTO A STENT STRUT

摘要

An apparatus for loading material into a stent strut can comprise a cover sleeve. The cover sleeve is elastic so that it can reduce in diameter so as to press against the stent strut, and expand in diameter so as to be spaced apart from the stent strut. The stent strut can include a lumen into which material is injected. When pressed against the stent strut, the cover sleeve seals side openings to the lumen and prevents injected material from leaking out of the side openings during the injection process.

主权项

1. An apparatus for loading material into a stent strut, the apparatus comprising:
an elastic cover sleeve forming a tube and having an inner diameter, the elastic cover sleeve configured to move from an enlarged orientation to a reduced orientation, the inner diameter being greater when the elastic cover sleeve is in the enlarged orientation than when in the reduced orientation, the elastic cover sleeve configured to move between the enlarged orientation according to a difference in pressure between outside the tube and inside the tube; and a stent support configured to carry a stent into the tube, the stent support movable into and out of the elastic cover sleeve, the stent support having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the elastic cover sleeve when in the enlarged orientation.