Patent 7828916 was granted and assigned to Abbott on November, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Disclosed are methods for crimping a medical device, such as a stent, wherein the medical device is formed of a superelastic alloy. A method for crimping a medical device includes cooling the stent until the alloy becomes martensitic, allowing the stent to warm after cooling, crimping the stent with a crimping apparatus.