Endoprosthesis delivery catheter with sequential stage control

摘要

A delivery device for intraluminally positioning and controllably releasing a vascular prosthesis includes an elongate delivery sheath and a control handle at the proximal end of the device. The handle has components movable and arranged to define at least three relative positions including (1) an implant capture position in which the sheath fully encloses and contains the implant, (2) an intermediate position in which the implant is partially deployed but in which the trailing end of the implant remains attached to the delivery device, and (3) a release position in which the implant has been freed from the delivery device and fully released within the blood vessel. The movable parts of the handle include a shifting mechanism that must be operated deliberately through a detent by the physician to enable the handle to be manipulated from one position to the other.