Shrinking balloon catheter having nonlinear or hybrid compliance curve
AssigneeSciMed Life Systems, Inc.
InventorsLixiao Wang, The Thomas T. Tran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A balloon catheter, having a non-linear compliance curve, made up of a single layered balloon, that was molded from a polymeric material to have a specific nominal diameter and then shrunk to a diameter that is less than the specific nominal diameter. When the shrunk balloon is expanded it has the characteristics of a compliant balloon until its diameter has been expanded to its original specific nominal diameter after which it follows the non compliant compliance curve that it would have had it not been shrunk.
Claims21
A catheter comprising:
- an elongated catheter tube having a proximal and a distal end,
- a single layered dilating element secured to the distal end of said elongated catheter tube, said single layered dilating element having a hybrid compliance curve that includes compliant and non compliant portions,
- said elongated catheter tube having an inflation lumen extending from its proximal to its distal end, the distal end of said inflation lumen communicating with the interior of said single layered dilating element,
- inflation means in communication with the proximal end of said inflation lumen for metering inflation fluid into the inflation lumen and the interior of said single layered dilating element to cause the dilating element to expand in the diametric direction in conformance with its hybrid compliance curve.
A catheter including an inflatable balloon portion having a hybrid compliance curve that includes a compliant and a non compliant portion:
- a balloon molded from non compliant plastic material having an original non-compliant diameter and then shrunk to a second diameter that is smaller than said original non-compliant diameter,
- means for inflating the balloon,
- said balloon following a compliant compliance curve during initial inflation until it has been stretched to a diameter that is substantially equal to the original non-compliant diameter and upon further inflation it follows a non compliant compliance curve.
A catheter including an inflatable balloon portion having a hybrid compliance curve that is advantageous in particular medical applications comprising:
- a balloon,
- said balloon having been molded to a specific diameter and being formed of a plastic material,
- said molded balloon having been shrunk to a diameter that is less than its original specific diameter,
- means for inflating the balloon such that upon initial application of an inflation media to the balloon portion of the catheter, the balloon will be inflated and will follow a compliant compliance curve, after which and upon the application of increased pressure through the inflation media the balloon will follow a non compliant compliance curve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.