High-strength, thin-walled single piece catheters
First Claim
1. A unitary, integral and seamless catheter comprising self supporting robing having one closed end, said tubing comprising a tubular wall wherein at least a part of said tubular wall defines a balloon portion having a wall thickness on the order of 1.5 mils or less, and another part of said tubular wall defines said closed end portion, both of said portions being integrally formed with said tubular wall, further wherein said tubing consists essentially of an orientable polymeric material which has been biaxially oriented along substantially the entire length of said tubular wall and said closed end portion, said catheter having an overall longitudinal dimension at least double the longitudinal dimension of said balloon wall portion and also being sufficiently thin-walled so that said tubing is flexible, inflatable and collapsible.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An integral, single-piece, high-strength, thin-walled, inflatable catheter is disclosed. The catheter has one end partially or entirely closed, and is at least uniaxially oriented along its entire length. The method and apparatus for making the catheter is also disclosed. The catheters of this invention have a calculated radial tensile strength of about 10,000 psi or greater at every point along the catheter.
-
Citations
28 Claims
- 1. A unitary, integral and seamless catheter comprising self supporting robing having one closed end, said tubing comprising a tubular wall wherein at least a part of said tubular wall defines a balloon portion having a wall thickness on the order of 1.5 mils or less, and another part of said tubular wall defines said closed end portion, both of said portions being integrally formed with said tubular wall, further wherein said tubing consists essentially of an orientable polymeric material which has been biaxially oriented along substantially the entire length of said tubular wall and said closed end portion, said catheter having an overall longitudinal dimension at least double the longitudinal dimension of said balloon wall portion and also being sufficiently thin-walled so that said tubing is flexible, inflatable and collapsible.
- 13. A unitary, integral and seamless balloon catheter consisting essentially of an orientable polymeric tubing comprising a balloon portion and proximal and distal body portions at the respective ends of said balloon portion, said distal body portion terminating at a closed end curved about the longitudinal axis of said tubing in a direction concave with respect to said balloon portion, further wherein said catheter has been biaxially oriented along its entire length and distal end and has an overall longitudinal dimension at least double the longitudinal dimension of said balloon portion.
-
17. Balloon dilatation catheter apparatus comprising:
-
(a) elongated, flexible, thin-walled, substantially inelastic polymeric tubing having an open proximal end, a biaxially oriented closed distal end, and an interior passageway having a substantially constant tubing diameter when said apparatus is inflated, said passageway being defined by biaxially-oriented tubing wall means; (b) a very thin-walled, flexible, high strength, substantially inelastic polymeric balloon which is readily inflatable under fluid pressure and readily collapsible under vacuum, said balloon being located between the proximal and distal ends of said tubing, said balloon comprising an interior having a substantially constant balloon diameter that is substantially independent of the fluid inflation pressure when said apparatus is inflated, said balloon diameter being greater than said tubing diameter, and said balloon being defined by biaxially-oriented balloon wall means having a thickness of about 1.5 mils or less; and (c) integrally formed biaxially-oriented wall means joining said tubing wall means to said balloon wall means in a unitary, integral and seamless construction, further wherein said catheter apparatus has an overall longitudinal dimension at least double the longitudinal dimension of said balloon. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
-
-
26. A high-strength, thin-walled catheter made by the process of:
-
(a) heating a thin-walled tubular element having a tubular wall, a sealed distal end integrally formed with the tubular wall and an open proximal end and consisting essentially of orientable polymer to a temperature between the first and second order polymer transition temperatures; (b) axially orienting the entire heated tubular element including the sealed distal end; (c) radially orienting the entire heated tubular element including the sealed distal end by introducing a pressurized fluid into said tubing through the open proximal end thereof; such that the steps (b) and (c) of orienting the tubular element stretches the element so that at least a portion of the stretched tubular element forms a balloon portion having a wall thickness less than or equal to 1.5 mils, the outer diameter to wall thickness ratio of said balloon portion is between 25 and 1500, the sealed distal end is biaxially oriented and said catheter has an overall longitudinal dimension at least double the longitudinal dimension of said balloon portion. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
-
Specification