The present invention provides one or more sleeves for positioning a stent on a stent delivery system, such as a balloon catheter. The sleeve wraps around the catheter. One or two sleeves are positioned adjacent to one or both ends of the stent without overlapping with the stent. One end of the sleeve may be attached to the catheter or the balloon. The outer diameter of the end of the sleeve adjacent to the stent may be no greater than the outer diameter of the unexpanded stent. As a result, the profile of the stent delivery system is not increased by the sleeves of the present invention. If the stent dislodges during delivery to the target site, the stent can come to rest on the wall of the sleeve. Because the sleeves are positioned adjacent to the stent without overlapping with the stent, the stent is able to expand without being restrained by the sleeves. In addition, except for the stent, no other component of the stent delivery system, including the sleeves, comes into contact with the vessel wall when the balloon is expanded. This minimizes damages caused by the stent delivery system to the vessel.
