Appeal No. 2000-1948 Page 7
Application No. 08/751,087
slidable flush port and plunger assembly 30. The flush port
and plunger assembly, as well as the entire handle, are
generally coaxially disposed about the underlying catheter
that they surround. As can be seen in Figure 5, retractable
sheath 10 overlies the outer lumen 35 of the catheter. The
retractable sheath 10 serves to protect an intravascular
prosthesis or stent 40 that is disposed between the
retractable sheath 10 and the outer lumen 35, on balloon
portion 45. The retractable sheath 10 covers the stent during
transport of the stent through the vasculature by the
catheter. The sheath 10 is withdrawn from over the stent, to
expose the stent, by the stent delivery handle and
thereinafter the stent is expanded to engage the vasculature
and the catheter is withdrawn.
Williams' stent delivery handle has a housing body 50
made of a top half 60 and a bottom half 70, with each half
made to fit into the other half. Bottom half 70 is provided
with a finger grip 80, while top half 60 is provided with a
thumb switch track that is formed by slot 90 along which a
thumbswitch 100 reciprocates. The underside of slot 90
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