Integral dilation element for a balloon catheter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9937331-B2
Application number	US-201615043002-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2011
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A balloon catheter is provided for dilating hardened stenoses. The balloon catheter has dilation elements integrally formed on the outer surface of the balloon. The dilation elements have cross-sectional shapes that improve the performance of the balloon catheter.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of manufacturing a balloon catheter, comprising:
placing a tube inside a mold, said tube comprising a generally circular wall surrounding a central lumen and a protrusion integrally attached to an outer surface of said generally circular wall and extending along a length thereof;
expanding a portion of said tube inside of the mold by heating said tube and pressurizing said central lumen, said mold comprising a longitudinal clearance cavity to receive a length of said protrusion, said tube forming a balloon and said protrusion forming a dilation element after said expanding, said balloon comprising a central working diameter portion and end neck regions;
bonding said end neck regions to a catheter shaft, an inflation lumen being in communication with an interior cavity of said balloon to inflate and deflate said balloon.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said longitudinal clearance cavity along at least a portion of said working diameter portion is sized so that said protrusion does not significantly contact said mold during said expanding.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein said longitudinal clearance cavity at least partially receives said protrusion along at least a portion of said neck regions, said longitudinal clearance cavity in said neck regions thereby indexing said tube to said longitudinal clearance cavity along said working diameter portion.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said bonding comprises disposing heat shrink tubing over said protrusion along said neck regions after said heating and pressurizing.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein said disposing comprises applying sufficient heat to said neck region to substantially reform said protrusion into the outer surface of said generally circular wall.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a shape of said protrusion does not change shape during said expanding.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said mold does not comprise a longitudinal clearance cavity receiving said protrusion along tapered regions extending between said working region and said neck regions, said protrusion thereby being compressed against said mold at said tapered regions.

8. The method according to claim 1 , said protrusion comprising a protrusion body portion attaching to said generally circular wall by a protrusion neck portion, wherein a bottom portion of said protrusion body portion is wider than said protrusion neck portion.

9. The method according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of protrusions integrally attached to said outer surface of said generally circular wall.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said protrusion and said generally circular wall are formed from the same material.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said protrusion and said generally circular wall are co-extruded.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein bonding said balloon to said catheter shaft comprises inserting said catheter through said central lumen at said neck region and sealing said neck region to said catheter shaft.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said protrusion is trapezoid-shaped.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said protrusion is triangle-shaped.

Assignees

• Cook Medical Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Burton David G
• Lysgaard Thomas
• Aggerholm Steen
• Elgaard Per
• Hjort Kjeld

Classifications

• A61M25/1034

  Joining of shaft and balloon · CPC title

• A61M25/1029 Primary

  Production methods of the balloon members, e.g. blow-moulding, extruding, deposition or by wrapping a plurality of layers of balloon material around a mandril · CPC title

• A61M25/104

  used for angioplasty · CPC title

• A61M2025/1031

  Surface processing of balloon members, e.g. coating or deposition; Mounting additional parts onto the balloon member's surface · CPC title

• A61M25/1002

  characterised by balloon shape (A61M25/1006, A61M25/1009 take precedence) · CPC title