Soluble material insertion aid for balloon catheter

A method for facilitating the insertion of a balloon-carrying end of a catheter and anchoring the catheter within a bodily cavity, comprising:

• longitudinally folding an annulus of the balloon-carrying end of the catheter;
• providing a soluble material covering about the balloon-carrying end of the catheter, the soluble material covering including at least one of one or more perforations or one or more scalloped regions;
• inserting the balloon-carrying end of the catheter into a bodily cavity of a patient;
• initiating inflation of the balloon, whereupon the soluble material covering breaks apart substantially along the perforations or scalloped regions to a degree that does not impede further inflation of the balloon;
• and
• continuing to inflate the balloon until the balloon is inflated to an extent that will anchor the balloon-carrying end of the catheter within the bodily cavity.

A method for facilitating the insertion of a balloon-carrying end of a catheter, comprising:

• folding the balloon-carrying end of the catheter while the balloon is in an uninflated condition;
• providing a length of soluble film about the folded balloon-carrying end of the catheter, said length of soluble film including perforations;
• wetting an end of the soluble film;
• placing the end in contact with an exposed surface of the wrapped length of soluble film;
• and
• applying pressure to the outer surface of the end of the soluble film in a direction toward the surface of the wrapped length of soluble film with which the wetted end of the soluble film is placed in contact.