Patent ID: 7147817
Filing Date: 2006-12-12
Classification: A61M,B29C,B29L

Abstract:
1. A method of making a balloon catheter having a multilayer balloon with a proximal skirt section and a distal skirt section bonded to the shaft so that the balloon has an inflatable section with a length between the proximal and distal skirt sections, comprising: a) providing on a distal section of a catheter shaft a first and a second tube, with the first tube on an outer surface of the second tube, and with a proximal end section and a distal end section of the second tube bonded to the catheter shaft to form at least part of the proximal and distal skirt sections of the balloon, the first and second tubes each extending along the length of the inflatable section from the proximal skirt section to the distal skirt section of the balloon so that the first tube forms an outer layer of the multilayer balloon and the second tube forms an inner layer of the multilayer balloon, and the multilayer balloon has a noninflated configuration with essentially no wings; b) positioning heat shrink material on an outer surface of the first tube on the second tube to form an assembly, with the heat shrink material extending at least along a central inflatable section of the first tube, said first tube central inflatable section extending the entire length of the first tube located between the proximal and distal end sections of the second tube; c) pressurizing an interior of the second tube and radially shrinking the heat shrink material by heating the heat shrink material on the first tube, so that the pressurization applies a radially outward force and the heat shrink material applies a radially inward force, to reduce a diameter of the first tube at least along the central inflatable section of the first tube and form a shrunk assembly having the outer surface of the second tube bonded to the first tube along an inflatable length thereof; and d) removing the shrunk heat shrink material from the reduced diameter first tube, to form a balloon catheter having a reduced diameter multilayered balloon with essentially no wings.