Abstract: An angioplasty catheter comprising a catheter shaft having a proximal portion and a distal end, an angioplasty balloon attached to the shaft at the distal end, a balloon inflation lumen extending through the shaft and communicating with the interior of the balloon, a guidewire lumen extending through the shaft and through the balloon for receiving a steerable guidewire, the guidewire lumen having an outside wall, wherein the guidewire lumen has a proximal opening located at a point normally outside of the patient during use of the catheter for insertion of a guidewire into the lumen, and a side port adapted to permit passage of a guidewire into the lumen through the outside wall of the guidewire lumen, the side port located distally of the proximal opening and at a point normally inside of the patient during use, and guidewire removing means in the outside wall of the guidewire lumen extending from the proximal opening to the side port for permitting a guidewire in the guidewire lumen to be moved laterally fr

Abstract: A stent in a non-expanded state has a first column expansion strut pair. A plurality of the first column expansion strut pair form a first expansion column. A plurality of second column expansion strut pair form a second expansion column. A plurality of first serial connecting struts form a first connecting strut column that couples the first expansion column to the second expansion column. The first expansion column, the second expansion column, and the first connecting strut column form a plurality of geometric cells. At least a portion of the plurality are asymmetrical geometric cells.

Abstract: The present invention tackles the challenging anatomic characteristics of the coronary artery disease in the bifurcation point and the origin of side-branch. The invention has a specifically designed angioplasty balloon catheter, particularly the balloon shape and profile, to be used in the diseased vessels at these difficult anatomic locations. In stent implanting into a coronary artery, a balloon catheter application is an inseparable requirement. A stent is a passive device that cannot be deployed in a diseased or stenosed artery without a pre-stent, with-stent and/or post-stent balloon dilatation. In majority (more than 95%) of available coronary stents, a stent is deployed by balloon expandable mode, meaning that the stent is delivered and expanded inside a vessel lumen by expanding a delivery balloon. This is done by crimping a stent over a folded balloon for delivery into a coronary artery.