Reduced Material Tip for Catheter and Method of Forming Same

Abstract

Method for fabricating a catheter including providing an inner tubular member formed from a first polymeric material, the inner tubular member having a distal section, a distal end, and a lumen defined therein by a first inner diameter; necking down at least a portion of the distal section of the inner tubular member to form a necked tip having a second inner diameter; and removing a portion of polymeric material from an inner surface along the necked tip to define a third inner diameter for the necked tip. The method can include positioning the distal section of the inner tubular member in a balloon having a working length, a distal neck, and a distal leg, with the distal end of the inner tubular member extending distally beyond a distal end of the distal leg, and coupling the distal leg of the balloon to at least a portion of the distal section of the inner tubular member.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.