Lubricated sleeve material for stent delivery

摘要

The present invention relates to a stent delivery system in which a catheter carries on its distal end portion a stent which is held in place around the catheter prior to and during percutaneous delivery by means of one, and preferably two, end sleeves. The sleeves are positioned around the catheter with one end portion of each sleeve associated thereto. The other end of each sleeve overlaps an end portion of the stent to hold it in place on the catheter in a contracted condition. The present invention provides an improvement with respect to lubrication of the sleeve prior to its assembly with the catheter. A preferred way of lubricating the sleeve is by incorporating a lubricant additive within the sleeve composition.