referring now to the drawing , wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout , fig3 a - 3c illustrate an exemplary introducer according to the present invention for endoluminal deployment of a stent inside of a biocompatible graft cover without obstructing endoluminal fluid flow during deployment . as shown in fig3 a - c , exemplary stent delivery system 40 comprises a stent sheath 42 , a compressed stent 44 underlying the stent sheath , a pusher 46 underlying the stent sheath proximal to the stent , an inner core 48 , and a compressed biocompatible graft 50 overlying distal end 52 of the stent sheath . inner core 48 is axially mounted within inner lumen 56 of pusher 46 , extends axially through stent 44 and attaches to tip 58 comprising tip sheath 60 overlying distal end 62 of the stent . optional central guidewire lumen 49 ( not shown in fig3 a ) runs through inner core 48 and tip 58 , as shown in fig3 b and 3c . graft 50 has a distal end 64 attached to the stent by attachment 51 distally of the sheath distal end 52 . optionally , attachment 51 may be located at or somewhat proximally of the distal end 52 of sheath 42 within sheath 42 , so long as the part of graft 50 lying within sheath 42 is easily pulled or otherwise disposed distally of sheath 42 during deployment . graft 50 further has a proximal end 66 attached to stent sheath 42 by a releasable attachment , such as suture 68 , adapted to be released during deployment of the stent . as shown in fig3 a - c , pusher 46 has a rounded distal end 47 . although stent delivery system 40 has both a tip sheath 60 and a stent sheath 42 , the two sheaths abut one another axially and have the same outer diameter . thus , the two sheaths together in series form a single - sheath - profile stent delivery system , meaning that the profile of the stent delivery system is no greater than that provided by a single outer sheath plus graft material . other embodiments having no tip sheath 60 , are discussed below . the stent may be self - expanding , comprising , for example , a shape - memory material such as nitinol , or may be any type of elastically or thermally expandable stent known in the art . the biocompatible graft material may be polyester , polyurethane , polyethylene , polytetrafluoroethylene ( ptfe ), or any material known in the art . the stent deployment system of the present invention may be used for deployment of stents and grafts within blood vessels or in other body lumens , such as in the trachea . as used herein , the term “ stent delivery system ” shall encompass both a completed assembly which is capable of deploying a stent or a sub - assembly which is capable of deploying a stent when combined with other components . to effect release of the suture 68 during deployment , pusher 46 further comprises at distal end 47 a window 76 in which is proximally mounted cutter 70 , such as a sharpened hypotube , adapted for severing the suture upon movement of the pusher relative to stent sheath 42 . stent sheath 42 has a connection point , such as a pair of tie - holes 72 , as shown in fig3 c , and a pair of radially opposite through - holes 74 . window 76 is radially aligned with stent sheath through - holes 74 prior to and during introduction of stent delivery system 40 into the body . as shown in fig3 c , suture 68 is anchored at one end through tie - holes 72 and extends distally along stent sheath 42 from the tie - holes along arrow “ c ”, pierces graft 50 one or more times along arrow “ d ”, returns proximally along the stent sheath along arrow “ e ”, turns radially in the direction of arrow “ f ” and enters the stent sheath through one through - hole 74 , extends through pusher window 76 and exits the stent sheath through the other through - hole 74 , extends distally along the stent sheath along arrow “ g ”, pierces the graft one or more times along arrow “ h ”, extends semi - circumferentially around the stent sheath along arrow “ i ” ( shown in dashed lines ) and anchors to the tie holes or to the other end of the suture . suture 68 may be attached by a method that follows the order described above , starting along arrow c in alphabetical order through arrow i , or in reverse order , starting in the direction opposite arrow i , and following reverse alphabetical order in the opposite direction of each arrow named above . this suture configuration reduces friction between the suture and graft during deployment because the suture is cut into two short lengths to be pulled through the graft rather than one long length of suture . other suture configurations may also be used to anchor graft 50 to stent sheath 42 and to cut the suture upon deployment . instead of the suture being tied through a pair of tie holes 72 , the suture connection point to stent sheath 42 may comprise any type of connection known in the art . such connection may comprise , for example without limitation thereto , a single hole in the stent sheath and a stopper knot tied in the end of the suture to prevent pulling the end through the hole , an adhesive or heat - fused bond , or a crimped metal or rubber band . different releasable attachment devices other than sutures may also be used . in an alternative embodiment , referring now to fig4 a and 4b , a crochet weave 80 may be disposed over proximal end 66 of graft 50 to secure it to stent sheath 42 . as shown in detail in fig4 b , crochet weave 80 comprises a continuous filament 82 wound into n successive loops 84 i - n helically wrapped around the graft in alternating orientations ( loop 84 i counterclockwise , loop 84 ii clockwise , loop 84 iii counterclockwise , and so on , viewed from loop 84 i looking proximally ), the stem 86 of each loop protruding through the hole 88 made by the preceding loop . distal end 90 of filament 82 is typically releasably secured to provide resistance to unwinding of crochet weave 80 , such as by being pulled through a slot 91 in tip sheath 60 and pinched therein . proximal end 92 of the filament is tucked within through - hole 74 in stent sheath 42 , as shown in fig4 a , and trailed within the stent sheath to the outside of the body . filament 82 may then be pulled like a drawstring to untie crochet weave 80 loop by loop and to pull distal end 90 out of slot 91 . although fig4 a shows sheath 42 and graft 50 in longitudinal section to illustrate through - hole 74 and trailing proximal end 92 , crochet weave 80 is illustrated in its entirety without hidden portions , to show location . fig4 b shows crochet weave 80 as visible from one side of graft 50 . in another alternative embodiment , referring now to fig5 graft 50 may be tacked to stent sheath 42 with a bead of biocompatible adhesive 100 that softens or dissolves after a certain amount of time of exposure to blood ( or other intraluminal fluid in the lumen in which the stent is to be deployed ), thus allowing the graft to be pulled away from stent sheath 42 upon deployment . in yet another alternative embodiment , referring now to fig6 a - 6c , graft 650 may have a tab 651 at the proximal end 66 thereof , the tab adapted to be inserted in slot 674 in stent sheath 642 . tab 651 is then releasably secured by being pinched between stent sheath 642 and pusher 646 , as shown in fig6 b . pusher 646 has an indent 676 adjacent the pusher distal end 647 such that when sheath 642 is retracted proximally or pusher 646 is advanced distally , indent 676 aligns with slot 674 in stent sheath 642 such that tab 651 is released and graft 650 is free to deploy , as shown in fig6 c . as shown in fig6 b and 6c , tab 651 may be completely inserted within slot 674 and its end pinched between pusher 676 and the inside wall of stent sheath 642 as shown with respect to top slot 674 , or as shown with respect to bottom through - hole 674 ′, portion 651 ′ of graft 650 may be doubled over on itself with the end outside the slot . portion 651 ′ inserted within slot 674 ′ may be a discrete tab , or if the materials of construction of graft 650 so allow , portion 651 ′ may rather be a portion of graft 650 that is merely pushed into through - hole 674 , doubled over on itself , and pinched . introducer 40 is used to carry out a method for endoluminally deploying a stent and overlying graft without blocking endoluminal fluid flow during deployment , as shown in fig7 a - d . first , stent 44 and overlying graft 50 are compressed and loaded into stent delivery system 40 having the components previously described herein and assembled as shown in fig3 a . next , the stent delivery system is navigated to a desired deployment location over a guidewire ( not shown ) or by other means known in the art . then , at the deployment location , stent distal end 62 is released by moving inner core 48 distally relative to stent sheath 42 along arrow z , as shown in fig7 a . then , stent sheath 42 is retracted proximally relative to stent 44 along arrow y , thus pulling suture 68 in window 76 across cutter 70 of pusher 46 and severing the suture as shown in fig7 b . with suture 68 cut , graft 50 expands so that blood or other endoluminal fluid flows along arrows b through stent 44 and between stent sheath 42 and the graft , as is shown in fig7 c . suture 68 is retained on stent sheath 42 in two pieces , each piece tied at one end through tie - holes 72 in the stent sheath and carried by the motion of the stent sheath and the endoluminal fluid flow in the direction of arrow b . stent sheath 42 is retracted along arrow y until stent 44 is completely deployed in a configuration biasing graft 50 against the walls 19 of the body lumen 20 , as shown in fig7 d . stent delivery system 40 may then be prepared for withdrawal from the body by advancing pusher 46 inside tip sheath 60 and advancing stent sheath 42 until it is adjacent to the tip sheath as also shown in fig7 d . rounded distal end 47 of pusher 46 is advantageous for guiding the pusher into tip sheath 60 , which is especially useful when stent delivery system 40 is used in an area of curved anatomy . with the stent delivery system 40 in a closed configuration as shown in fig7 d , tip sheath 60 is less likely to snag on stent 44 or on walls 19 of lumen 20 during withdrawal , than if left in an open configuration with a gap between stent sheath 42 and the tip sheath , such as is shown in fig7 c . prior to deployment , stent sheath 42 may be locked to pusher 46 and inner core 48 may also be locked to the pusher . the locking of these components together is typically accomplished at the handles located at the proximal end of the delivery system ( not shown ) and that remain outside the body during the deployment procedure . inner core 48 may also be biased under slight tension prior to locking and introduction of stent delivery system 40 into the body lumen so that tip sheath 60 does not become displaced relative to stent sheath 42 in curved anatomy . thus , when stent delivery system 40 is introduced into the body in a locked configuration , the step of advancing inner core 48 relative to stent sheath 42 first comprises unlocking the inner core from pusher 46 prior to moving the inner core . similarly , the step of retracting stent sheath 42 further comprises unlocking the stent sheath from pusher 46 prior to moving the sheath . thus , one exemplary method for deployment of a stent and graft according to the present invention may include all the steps as depicted in the self - explanatory flowchart of fig8 . inner core 48 attached to tip 58 ( and attached to tip sheath 60 , where present ) may be mounted axially through inner lumen 56 of pusher 46 as shown in fig3 a - c and 7 a - d , or , referring now to fig9 inner core 148 may instead be mounted to distal end of pusher 146 . in such a configuration when tip sheath 60 is also present , sheath 42 is retracted in a single motion in the direction of arrow y to simultaneously pull distal end 62 of stent 44 from out of tip sheath 60 , allowing it to expand , while also severing suture 168 against cutter 170 within pusher 146 . as retraction of sheath 42 continues in the direction of arrow y after stent distal end 62 is expanded , the proximal end 66 of stent 44 contacts distal end 47 of pusher 146 , which then pushes the stent out from within stent sheath 42 . also illustrated in fig9 is a temporary protective wrapper 150 over graft 50 . the wrapper may be adapted to be split or otherwise peeled or torn away prior to inserting the delivery system within the body lumen . such a temporary wrapper protects the graft and keeps it compressed against the sheath until just prior to deployment . such a wrapper may be heat - set in place during a heat setting step that also may heat - set the graft into a low profile . this wrapper may be particularly useful in an embodiment of this invention wherein the proximal end of the graft is not attached to the sheath at all ( not shown ), but instead remains in its heat - set position wrapped about stent sheath 42 until stent 44 starts to expand . the heat - set configuration is undone as stent 44 expands and blood flows between graft 50 and stent sheath 42 . further illustrated in fig9 is an embodiment wherein suture 168 is secured to graft 50 rather than being secured through tie - holes in stent sheath 42 . in this configuration , when suture 168 is broken , it remains connected to graft 50 rather than to sheath 42 . suture 168 preferably comprises a resorbable suture material to reduce risk of embolism from the trailing suture segments . in yet another embodiment , the suture used for attaching the graft to the sheath may be a slip knot 200 , such as shown in fig1 a and 10b , that may be untied to release the suture . exemplary slip knot 200 , as shown in more detail in fig1 b , may comprise a first suture 202 and a second suture 204 that each hold down graft 50 and are secured to stent sheath 42 at a connection point , such as at tie holes 72 , and a third suture 206 that has a slipped end 208 . slipped end may be attached to pusher 246 ( as shown in fig1 a ) or to the inner core ( not shown ) so that relative movement of the stent sheath relative to the pusher or inner core unties the knot , or the slipped end may be trailed as a drawstring outside the body lumen . first suture 202 , second suture 204 , and third suture 206 each also have free ends 203 , 205 , and 207 , respectively , that are tied together in slip knot 200 . knot 200 as illustrated in fig1 b is a modified sheet bend , shown prior to tightening , for clarity . other slip knot configurations known in the art may also be chosen , based on suture properties and manufacturing considerations . to provide a slip knot embodiment such as shown in fig1 a , slip knot 200 may be first created at free end 203 of first suture 202 , free end 205 of second suture 204 , and free end 207 of third suture 206 having slipped end 208 attached to pusher 246 . then the ends of sutures 202 and 204 opposite free ends 203 and 205 , respectively , are threaded inside sheath 42 and out through through - holes 74 , and pusher 246 is threaded inside sheath 42 into its position for deployment into the body lumen . sutures 202 and 204 may then be secured to graft 50 and tie - holes 72 as shown in fig1 a . attachment means other than sutures may also be used for securing the proximal end of the graft to the sheath , or as mentioned above , the sheath may be left unattached at the proximal end , constrained about the sheath only by the effects of a heat - set step . alternatively , the fluid dynamics of opposing blood flow may be sufficient to retain the proximal end circumference of the graft and preclude flow obstruction by the graft both prior to and during deployment . distal end 62 of stent 44 may extend distally of distal end 64 of graft 50 as shown in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 a - c and 7 a - d , or the graft distal end may be attached directly to the stent distal end . where the stent and graft distal ends are attached , tip sheath 60 is unnecessary , but tip 58 may still be present . where stent distal end 62 does extend distally of graft distal end 64 , the stent distal end may be secured to core 48 by means other than tip sheath 60 , as shown in fig3 b . for instance , as shown in fig1 , crochet weave 80 ′, having a distal end 90 pinched within slot 91 in catheter tip 58 and a proximal end 92 threaded into through - hole 74 in stent sheath 42 and trailed proximally outside the body lumen to be pulled like a drawstring , can be used in accordance with the general crochet weave configuration described herein earlier with respect to fig4 b . although illustrated and described herein with reference to certain specific embodiments , the present invention is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown . rather , various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the spirit of the invention .
a delivery system for endoluminal deployment of a stent inside of a biocompatible graft cover minimizes obstruction of endoluminal fluid flow during deployment . the delivery system comprises a stent sheath , a compressed stent underlying the stent sheath , and a graft overlying the stent sheath and releasably retained in a compressed state surrounding the sheath . the graft distal end is attached to the stent at or proximal the stent distal end , and the graft outer surface is exposed to the interior space of the lumen during deployment . the proximal end of the graft may be attached to the stent sheath by a releasable attachment adapted for release during deployment of the stent , or may be otherwise constrained , such as by heat deformation , to remain adjacent the outer circumference of the stent prior to deployment . the releasable attachment may be a suture that is severed by a pusher having a cutter therein . the delivery system may further include an inner core underlying the stent and connected to a tip sheath that overlies the stent distal end . one method of deploying the stent and overlying graft comprises advancing the tip sheath to allow the stent distal end to expand , retracting the stent sheath to cause the suture to be severed by the pusher cutter therefore allowing endoluminal fluid to flow between the graft and the sheath , and then completing deployment of the stent to urge the graft against the lumen wall .