Catheter balloon liner with variable thickness and method for making same

Abstract

A method of making a catheter balloon, and a balloon catheter formed thereby, in which a layer of a catheter balloon is formed by providing a tubular member to serve as a non porous liner for cooperation with a polymeric tube, and enlarging radially a central or working section of the tubular member such that a first end of the tubular member is smaller in the radial direction with respect to the working section. The tubular member may also have a thickness at the working section that is less than a thickness of the first and second end portions. The first end section of the tubular member is bonded to a catheter shaft having a first outer diameter to form at least a portion of a skirt section of the balloon, and the second end section is bonded to the catheter shaft having a second outer diameter to form a portion of a skirt section, where the skirt sections have an improved high rupture pressure.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.