Conformable balloons

• US 7,004,963 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2001
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Lixiao, Chen, John Jianhua, Lenz, Jason Todd, Wang, Yiqun Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, UYEN T
• Application Number:
  US09/952,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20030055378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,628 Days
• Field of Search: 606191-194, 623/1.11, 60410306-10309, 60410301-10303
• US Class Current: 623/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts

Abstract

An inflatable medical balloon for multiple procedures, including angioplasty procedures, procedures for delivering medical devices, such as stents, and a method of making the catheter systems. The catheter system employs a balloon having a plurality of flexible portions and a combination of hard and soft portions.

Claims

1. A balloon for a medical device comprising:

a longitudinal axis;

a proximal cone and a distal cone; and

a body positioned between the proximal and distal cones, the body comprising a body wall, the body wall forming closed loop around the longitudinal axis and the body wall having a thickness, the body wall further comprising an inner wall and an outer wall, wherein the body wall comprises a plurality of hinge points around the longitudinal axis of the balloon, wherein the plurality of hinge points comprises at least two circumferential channels formed in the outer wall of the body wall, the at least two circumferential channels each being a circumferential thinning of the body wall and constituting a minority of the body wall, wherein the majority of the body wall is thicker than the at least two circumferential channels, the plurality of hinge points providing the body with increased longitudinal flexibility.

2. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the body wall has a wavy configuration forming a plurality of peaks and troughs, the peaks and trough forming the plurality of hinge points providing the increased longitudinal flexibility.

3. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hinge points are wrinkles dispersed throughout the body wall.

4. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the circumferential channels are ground into the body wall such that the inner wall has a substantially uninterrupted contour.

5. The ballon of claim 4, wherein the circumferential channels are in a spiral configuration relative to the axis of the body.

6. The balloon of claim 4, wherein the circumferential channels are on a bias relative to the axis of the body.

7. The balloon of claim 4, the body wall being a coextrusion such that the body wall comprises a first layer and a second layer.

8. The balloon of claim 7, wherein the first layer has separations along is length and the second layer is substantially continuous along its length.

9. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the circumferential channels are in a spiral configuration relative to the axis of the body.

10. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the circumferential channels are on a bias relative to the axis of the body.

11. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hinge points are grooves in the body wall material.

12. The balloon of claim 11, wherein the grooves form a quilted pattern.

13. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the body wall varies along the axis of the body forming a plurality of first portions interspersed with a plurality of second portion, the first portions being thinner than the second portions.

14. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the outer surface has an undulating contour and the inner surface has a substantially continuous contour.

15. The balloon of claim 13, wherein the body wall comprises hard material.

16. The balloon of claim 1, further comprising a stent crimped on the balloon, wherein the plurality of hinge points improve the securement of the stent on the balloon relative to a balloon without the plurality of hinge points.