Stent balloon assembly and methods of making same

• US 20030208255A1
• Filed: 05/03/2002
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Whitty, Jeremy, Coyle, James, Neary, Tony, Ledwith, Seamus, OʼShaughnessy, Donagh
• Granted Patent: US 6,986,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9583 Means for holding the stent on the balloon, e.g. using protrusions, adhesives or an outer sleeve

Abstract

A stent balloon assembly wherein the balloon has been blow molded inside the stent. Segments of the balloon at least partially fill gaps in the stent, even after the assembly is compressed, to retain the stent on the balloon during delivery. The stent balloon assembly may also be mounted on a catheter.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising:

a tubular stent being plastically deformable between a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration; and

a balloon disposed within the stent, the balloon having been blow-molded within the expanded configuration of the stent.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the stent comprises a pattern including solid portions and gaps formed there between, the balloon having segments that have been blow-molded to at least partially fill the gaps in the stent pattern.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein the stent has been deformed into the compressed configuration such that one or more balloon segments remain at least partially filling the gaps in the stent pattern.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the balloon is capable of deforming the stent from the compressed configuration to the expanded configuration.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the balloon comprises a thermoplastic material, and wherein the balloon has been blow-molded at a temperature above a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic material.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the balloon comprises a bi-axially oriented thermoplastic material.

7. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the thermoplastic is selected from a group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polyamides, polyolefins, polyesters, polyurethanes, ethylene-vinyl acetate, block co-polymers, liquid crystal polymers, and blends and multi-layered combinations of the same.

8. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the balloon comprises a generally cylindrical body having proximal and distal necks joined thereto by frusto-conical sections.

9. The assembly of claim 8 further comprising an elongate flexible catheter having a distal portion extending through the balloon and being sealingly coupled to the balloon proximal and distal ends, the catheter having a lumen providing fluid communication from a proximal end to an interior of the balloon.

10. A method of making a stent balloon assembly comprising:

providing a tubular stent being plastically deformable between a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration;

placing the stent, in the expanded configuration, within a balloon mold;

forming a balloon within the stent in the mold by blow-molding a section of thermoplastic tubing; and

removing the balloon.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein forming the balloon includes blow-molding the section of tubing at a temperature above a glass transition temperature of the tubing.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the stent comprises a pattern including solid portions and gaps formed there between, and wherein forming the balloon includes at least partially filling the gaps with segments of the balloon.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the stent and balloon are removed together.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising mounting the stent and the balloon together about a distal portion of an elongate flexible catheter.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising deforming the stent into the compressed configuration such that at least some segments of the balloon remain partially filling the gaps.