A delivery system for delivering a prosthetic heart valve to a native
valve site within the human vasculature. The prosthetic valve is disposed
on a balloon at the end of a balloon catheter. The balloon catheter
passes through a delivery sleeve assembly and handle. A pull wire travels
from the handle to a distal end of the delivery sleeve assembly.
Actuation of the handle pulls on the pull wire, which causes openings in
a slotted tube of the delivery sleeve assembly to close, thus causing the
delivery sleeve assembly to bend. A stretchable cover is placed over the
slotted tube for biasing the steerable catheter toward a straight
position. Once advanced to the native valve site, the prosthetic valve is
deployed by inflating the balloon.