Catheter assembly including extruded polymer material for stiffness

A catheter comprising:

• a catheter body having proximal and distal ends and including an inflation conduit having a length extending along a conduit axis between the proximal and distal ends of the catheter body;
• an inflatable balloon coupled to the inflation conduit adjacent the distal end of the catheter body,
• wherein the inflation conduit includes
• an inner inflation tube including
• an inner tube body having an outer surface, an inner surface defining a guidewire lumen, a reinforced longitudinal portion, and a proximal longitudinal portion that is proximal of the reinforced longitudinal portion, and
• an extruded polymer material coupled to the outer surface of the reinforced longitudinal portion of the inner tube body, wherein substantially all molecules of the extruded polymer material are aligned and extend circumferentially around the outer surface of the inner tube body, and
• an outer inflation tube surrounding the inner inflation tube to define an annular inflation lumen between an inner surface of the outer inflation tube and the outer surface of the inner tube body, wherein the inflation lumen is in fluid communication with the inflatable balloon,
• wherein the reinforced longitudinal portion of the inner tube body is received in the inflatable balloon,
• wherein the reinforced longitudinal portion of the inner tube body has a thickness less than a thickness of the proximal longitudinal portion of the inner tube body,
• wherein the extruded polymer material strengthens the reinforced longitudinal portion of the inner tube body against radial compression forces imparted on the reinforced longitudinal portion by fluid pressure within the inflatable balloon when the inflatable balloon is being inflated,
• wherein the extruded polymer material comprises a ribbon of material wrapped around the reinforced longitudinal portion of the inner tube body, the ribbon including a first polymer layer formed from a first polymer material, a second polymer layer formed from a second polymer material, and a third polymer layer formed from a third polymer material,
• wherein the second polymer layer is sandwiched between the first and third polymer layers,
• wherein the first and second polymer materials have different hardnesses.