A device for trans-luminal delivery of a self-expanding stent or other surgical device and which is designed for rapid exchange over a guidewire has a guidewire lumen that adjacent its proximal exit port lies side -by-side with the line of the shaft of the device. A sleeve which surrounds and confines the stent has a proximal end that is shaped around the guidewire exit port to show in profile a shape reminiscent of the nose of a dolphin. In preferred embodiments, the sleeve also has a tapered distal tip that is withdrawn proximally over the length of the stent to release it, progressively, from its distal end. The configuration delivers simplicity of design, enhanced performance and reliability in use.
