Abstract:
A method of manufacturing a medical device is disclosed. The method comprises laser cutting a tubular member. The tubular member may have an inner surface, an outer surface and a tubular wall defining a thickness extending therebetween. The method may also include laser cutting the member. Laser cutting may include removing a portion of the thickness of the tubular wall at one or more discrete locations along the tubular wall. The method may also include chemically etching the one or more discrete locations to form a slot within the tubular wall at the one or more discrete locations along the tubular member.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/172,766, filed Jun. 8, 2015, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention pertains to medical devices, and methods for manufacturing medical devices. More particularly, the present invention pertains to elongated intracorporeal medical devices including a slotted tubular member. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    A wide variety of intracorporeal medical devices have been developed for medical use, for example, intravascular use. Some of these devices include guidewires, catheters, and the like. These devices are manufactured by any one of a variety of different manufacturing methods and may be used according to any one of a variety of methods. Of the known medical devices and methods, each has certain advantages and disadvantages. There is an ongoing need to provide alternative medical devices as well as alternative methods for manufacturing and using medical devices. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0004]    This disclosure provides design, material, manufacturing method, and use alternatives for medical devices. An example method for manufacturing a medical device is disclosed. The method comprises: 
         [0005]    laser cutting a tubular member, the tubular member having an inner surface, an outer surface and a tubular wall defining a thickness extending therebetween, wherein laser cutting the member includes removing a portion of the thickness of the tubular wall at one or more discrete locations along the tubular wall; and 
         [0006]    chemically etching the one or more discrete locations to form a slot within the tubular wall at the one or more discrete locations along the tubular member. 
         [0007]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, laser cutting includes laser cutting with a femtosecond laser. 
         [0008]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, forming a slot within the tubular wall includes removing the tubular wall from the outside surface to the inner surface of the tubular member. 
         [0009]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, forming a slot within the tubular wall includes removing a portion of the tubular wall from the outside surface to a location between the outside surface and the inner surface of the tubular member. 
         [0010]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, laser cutting the tubular member includes ablating a portion of the tubular wall. 
         [0011]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, laser cutting to remove a portion of the thickness of the tubular wall includes removing at least 80% of the thickness of the tubular wall. 
         [0012]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, laser cutting creates a first wall portion and a second wall portion, and wherein the first wall portion is longitudinally aligned with the second wall portion and wherein a connecting portion extends between the first wall portion and the second wall portion. 
         [0013]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, the connecting portion is continuous. 
         [0014]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, the connecting portion is discontinuous. 
         [0015]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, further comprising performing laser cutting prior to chemical etching. 
         [0016]    Another method of manufacturing a medical device comprises: 
         [0017]    laser cutting a tubular member, the tubular member having an inner diameter, an outer diameter and a tubular wall defining a thickness, wherein laser cutting the member includes removing a portion of the thickness of the tubular wall to form one or more cavities in the tubular wall; and 
         [0018]    chemically etching the tubular member to form a slot within the tubular wall at the one or more cavities along the tubular member, and wherein chemically etching increases the inner diameter of the tubular member. 
         [0019]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, laser cutting includes using a femtosecond laser. 
         [0020]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, removing a portion of the thickness of the tubular wall includes removing at least 80% of the tubular wall. 
         [0021]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, laser cutting includes ablating a portion of the tubular wall. 
         [0022]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, chemically etching the tubular member includes bathing the tubular member in an acid bath while rotating the tubular member, translating the tubular member, or both. 
         [0023]    An example medical device is disclosed. The example medical device comprises: 
         [0024]    an elongate shaft including a tubular member, the tubular member having an inner surface, an outer surface, a tubular wall extending between the outer surface and the inner surface and a plurality of slots extending from the outer surface to the inner surface; and 
         [0025]    wherein the plurality of slots are created by laser cutting one or more cavities in the tubular wall at one or more discrete locations along the outer surface of the tubular member and chemically etching the one or more cavities. 
         [0026]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, laser cutting includes using a femtosecond laser. 
         [0027]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, laser cutting includes ablation a portion of the tubular wall. 
         [0028]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, creating the one or more cavities includes removing a portion of the tubular wall, and wherein chemically etching includes removing the remaining portion of the tubular wall. 
         [0029]    Alternatively or additionally to any of the embodiments above, removing a portion of the tubular wall includes removing at least 80% of a thickness of the tubular wall. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0030]    The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description of various embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0031]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of an example medical device disposed in a blood vessel; 
           [0032]      FIG. 2  is a side view of an example tubular member for use in a medical device; 
           [0033]      FIG. 3A  is a side view of another example tubular member for use in a medical device prior to laser processing; 
           [0034]      FIG. 3B  is a side view of another example tubular member after laser processing; 
           [0035]      FIG. 3C  is a detailed view of the example tubular member illustrated in  FIG. 3B ; 
           [0036]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of another example tubular member after laser processing and prior to chemical treatment; 
           [0037]      FIG. 4B  is a cross-sectional view of the example tubular member of  FIG. 4A ; 
           [0038]      FIG. 4C  is a cross-sectional view of the example medical device of  FIG. 4B  after chemical processing; 
           [0039]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of another example medical device. 
       
    
    
       [0040]    While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0041]    For the following defined terms, these definitions shall be applied, unless a different definition is given in the claims or elsewhere in this specification. 
         [0042]    All numeric values are herein assumed to be modified by the term “about,” whether or not explicitly indicated. The term “about” generally refers to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances, the terms “about” may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. 
         [0043]    The recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers within that range (e.g. 1 to 5 includes 1, 1.5, 2, 2.75, 3, 3.80, 4, and 5). 
         [0044]    As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
         [0045]    The following detailed description should be read with reference to the drawings in which similar elements in different drawings are numbered the same. The drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, depict illustrative embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
         [0046]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of an example medical device  10 , for example a guidewire, disposed in a blood vessel  12 . Guidewire  10  may include a distal section  14  is that may be generally configured for use within the anatomy of a patient. Guidewire  10  may be used for intravascular procedures. For example, guidewire  10  may be used in conjunction with another medical device  16 , which may take the form of a catheter, to treat and/or diagnose a medical condition. Of course, numerous other uses are known amongst clinicians for guidewires, catheters, and other similarly configured medical devices. 
         [0047]    Although medical device  10  is depicted in several of the drawings as a guidewire, it is not intended to be limited to just being a guidewire. Indeed, medical device  10  may take the form of any suitable guiding, diagnosing, or treating device (including catheters, stents, endoscopic instruments and/or endoscopes, laparoscopic instruments, stent delivery systems, embolic filter systems, urology stone retrieval systems, embolic coil delivery systems, atherectomy shafts, thermoctomy shafts, pacing leads, neuromodulation contacts, neuromodulation electrodes, cardiac rhythm management leads and/or contacts, etc., and the like) and it may be suitable for use at essentially any location and/or body lumen within a patient. For example, medical device/guidewire  10  may be suitable for use in neurological interventions, coronary interventions, peripheral interventions, etc. As such, guidewire  10  may be appropriately sized for a given intervention. For example, guidewire  10  may have an outside diameter of about 0.001 to 0.050 inches or about 0.0015 to 0.025 inches. Further, guidewire  10  may have an inner lumen diameter of about 0.001 to 0.050 inches or about 0.005 to 0.025 inches. These dimensions, of course, may vary depending on, for example, the type of device (e.g., catheter, guidewire, etc.), the anatomy of the patient, and/or the goal of the intervention. 
         [0048]      FIG. 2  is a side view of example guidewire  10 . Here it can be seen that guidewire  10  may include a tubular member  20  having a plurality of cuts, apertures, and/or slots  22  formed therein. Various embodiments of arrangements and configurations of slots  22  are contemplated. In some embodiments, at least some, if not all of slots  22  are disposed at the same or a similar angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tubular member  20 . As shown, slots  22  can be disposed at an angle that is perpendicular, or substantially perpendicular, and/or can be characterized as being disposed in a plane that is normal to the longitudinal axis of tubular member  20 . However, in other embodiments, slots  22  can be disposed at an angle that is not is perpendicular, and/or can be characterized as being disposed in a plane that is not normal to the longitudinal axis of tubular member  20 . Additionally, a group of one or more slots  22  may be disposed at different angles relative to another group of one or more slots  22 . 
         [0049]    Slots  22  may be provided to enhance the flexibility of tubular member  20  while still allowing for suitable torque transmission characteristics. Slots  22  may be formed such that one or more rings and/or turns interconnected by one or more segments and/or beams are formed in tubular member  20 , and such rings and beams may include portions of tubular member  20  that remain after slots  22  are formed in the body of tubular member  20 . Such an interconnected ring structure may act to maintain a relatively high degree of torsional stiffness, while maintaining a desired level of lateral flexibility. In some embodiments, some adjacent slots  22  can be formed such that they include portions that overlap with each other about the circumference of tubular member  20 . In other embodiments, some adjacent slots  22  can be disposed such that they do not necessarily overlap with each other, but are disposed in a pattern that provides the desired degree of lateral flexibility. 
         [0050]    Additionally, slots  22  can be arranged along the length of, or about the circumference of, tubular member  20  to achieve desired properties. For example, adjacent slots  22 , can be arranged in a symmetrical pattern, such as being disposed essentially equally on opposite sides about the circumference of tubular member  20 , or can be rotated by an angle relative to each other about the axis of tubular member  20 . Additionally, adjacent slots  22 , may be equally spaced along the length of tubular member  20 , or can be arranged in an increasing or decreasing density pattern, or can be arranged in a non-symmetric or irregular pattern. This may include slots  22  that form or otherwise follow a helical pattern about tubular member  20 . Other characteristics, such as slot size, slot shape and/or slot angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of tubular member  20 , can also be varied along the length of tubular member  20  in order to vary the flexibility or other properties. In other embodiments, moreover, it is contemplated that the portions of the tubular member, such as a proximal section  26 , or a distal section  28 , or the entire tubular member  20 , may not include any such slots  22 . 
         [0051]    For the purposes of this disclosure, slots  22  may be understood to be cuts or openings that extend through the wall of tubular member  20 . For example,  FIG. 2  shows slots  22  extending through the wall of tubular member  20  and into inner lumen  24  of tubular member  20 . In some instances, forming slots in a tubular member may result in dross, debris, residue, particulate, nano-particulate or the like being deposited and/or accumulating on the inner lumen  24  of tubular member  20 . Further, in some instances additional processing may be required to remove the accumulated dross, debris, residue, particulate, etc. Therefore, it may be desirable to process the slots such that they extend through the wall of the tubular member, yet prevent debris, residue, particulate, nano-particulate or the like from entering the inner lumen  24  of the tubular member  20 . For example, some of the methods disclosed herein may utilize laser processing and/or chemical treatment to create a slot in the wall of a tubular member while minimizing the amount of debris, residue, particulate, nano-particulate or the like from entering the inner lumen  24  of the tubular member  20 . 
         [0052]    In at least some embodiments, slots  22  may be formed in tubular member using a laser cutting process. The laser cutting process may include essentially any suitable laser and/or laser cutting apparatus. For example, the laser cutting process may utilize a femtosecond laser. Other lasers or laser systems may also be used, as appropriate. 
         [0053]    Utilizing processes like laser cutting may be desirable for a number of reasons. For example, laser cutting processes may allow tubular member  20  to be cut into a number of different cutting patterns in a precisely controlled manner. This may include variations in the slot width (which also may be termed “kerf”), ring width, beam height and/or width, etc. Furthermore, changes to the cutting pattern can be made without the need to replace the cutting instrument (e.g., a blade). This may also allow smaller tubes (e.g., having a smaller outer diameter) to be used to form tubular member  20  without being limited by a minimum cutting blade size. Consequently, tubular members  20  may be fabricated for use in neurological devices or other devices where a small size may be desired. 
         [0054]      FIG. 3A  shows an example “uncut” or “unslotted” tubular member  30 . Tubular member  30  may be the “uncut” or “unslotted” version of tubular member  20 . For example,  FIG. 3A  shows inner lumen  24  extending along the longitudinal axis of tubular member  30 . A laser cutting process may generally include providing tubular member  30  and affixing tubular member  30  to a suitable holding apparatus. The holding apparatus may include one or more motors that can be used to rotate and/or translate tubular member  30  relative to the laser. 
         [0055]      FIG. 3B  shows example tubular member  30  positioned adjacent example laser  32 . Further,  FIG. 3B  illustrates laser  32  applying laser energy to tubular member  30  to create cavity  34 . As shown in  FIG. 3B , application of laser energy may remove a portion of tubular wall  36 . In some instances, laser energy applied to tubular wall  36  may ablate the tubular wall material. 
         [0056]      FIG. 3C  illustrates a detailed view of the cavity  34  created in tubular member  30 . For the purposes of this disclosure, cavity  34  may be understood to be an opening or channel that is formed in tubular member  30  that extends only part way through the wall  36  of tubular member  30 . A cavity  34  may alternatively be termed a pocket, trough, channel, groove, or the like. In some instances, laser  32  may form more than one cavity  34  in tubular member  30 . Further, cavity  34  may have any of the configurations disclosed for slots  22  and/or any other suitable configuration. 
         [0057]    As stated above, in some instances cavity  34  may extend only part way through the tubular wall  36  of tubular member  30 . For example,  FIG. 3C  shows a portion of the tubular wall  36  removed to create cavity  34 . As shown in  FIG. 3C , the “thickness” of the remaining portion  38  of tubular wall  36  has been labeled “Z.” 
         [0058]    As stated above, in some instances, tubular member  30  may be affixed to a holding apparatus in order to spin and/or translate tubular member  30  relative to laser  32 . It can be appreciated that applying laser treatment (e.g. laser energy) to tubular member  30  while tubular member  30  spins or translates on a holding apparatus may remove a portion of the tubular wall along both an arc length (measured along the circumference of outer surface) and an axial width (measured parallel to the central axis of tubular member along outer surface) of the tubular member. 
         [0059]    For example,  FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of example tubular member  30 . As shown, a portion of the tubular wall  36  has been removed (by application of laser energy, for example) to form cavity  34 . As discussed above, a portion of the tubular wall  36  has been removed along an arc length (measured along the circumference of outer surface  42 ) and an axial width (measured parallel to the central axis of tubular member  30  along outer surface  42 ) of tubular member  30 . In  FIG. 4A , the portion of the tubular wall  36  removed along the axial width of tubular member  30  may be represented by “X.” Axial width “X” may extend from a first axial width wall  41   a  longitudinally to a second axial width wall  41   b.  Further, the portion of the tubular wall  36  removed along the arc length of tubular member  30  may be represented by “Y.” Arc length “Y” may extend from a first arc length wall  40   a  to a second arc length wall  40   b.  Additionally,  FIG. 4A  depicts remaining portion  38  of tubular wall  36  after laser processing. In some instances, remaining portion  38  may alternatively be termed the “bottom” or “floor” of cavity  34 . 
         [0060]      FIG. 4B  shows a cross-sectional view of cavity portion  34  (along line X-X of  FIG. 4A ). As described above, cavity portion  34  may include remaining portion  38  of tubular wall  36  extending between a first arc length wall  40   a  and a second arc length wall  40   b.  In some instances, remaining portion  38  extends continuously between first arc length wall  40   a  and second arc length wall  40   b.  In other words, in some instances there are no breaks, voids, apertures, or the like across the length and width of remaining portion  38 . However, in other instances, remaining portion  38  may be discontinuous and include voids, breaks, apertures or the like distributed across its surface. 
         [0061]    As shown in  FIG. 4B , first and second wall portions  40   a  and  40   b  may define the thickness and/or depth of the amount of material which was removed from the outer surface  42  of tubular member  30  to create cavity  34 . In other words, during laser processing, material may be removed from the outer surface  42  of tubular member  30  to a location  46  between the outer surface  42  and the inner surface  44  of tubular member  30 . 
         [0062]    As further illustrated in  FIG. 4B , remaining portion  38  of tubular wall  36  may have a thickness represented by “Z.” Thickness “Z” may be defined as the distance from the location  46  to the inner surface  44  of tubular member  30 . 
         [0063]    In some instances, it may be desirable to precisely control the amount of material removed from the tubular wall  36  such that the thickness “Z” is minimized. For example, laser processing parameters may be controlled such that the thickness “Z” is approximately less than 1%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or 50% of the unprocessed wall thickness “W” (shown in  FIG. 4B ) of tubular member  30 . Further, in some instances the unprocessed wall thickness “W” may be approximately 0.0005 inches to 0.050 inches or more (e.g. 0.0010 inches to 0.025 inches or more, or about 0.001 inches to 0.007 inches or more). 
         [0064]    In addition to forming cavity  34  in tubular member  30 , tubular member  30  may also be subjected to additional method and/or processing steps. These steps may include a chemical treatment step. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to perform a chemical treatment step after a laser processing step. 
         [0065]    Chemical treatment may include any number of processes including chemical etching. Chemical etching may include, for example, bathing tubular member  30  in an acid bath. The acid bath may include essentially any suitable acid. For example, the acid bath may include fluoroboric acid, nitric acid, any suitable bench and/or mineral acid, combinations thereof, or any other suitable acid. In some embodiments, the acid bath may include an aqueous solution including fluoroboric acid (e.g., about 1-20% or more, or about 2-10% or more, or about 4% or more) and nitric acid (e.g., about 1-50% or more, or about 20-40% or more, or about 30% or more). It can be appreciated that the various solutions that may be appropriate for the various bathes may vary depending on the material(s) used for tubular member  30 . 
         [0066]    Chemical treatment (e.g. chemical etching) may be desirable for a number of reasons. For example, after the laser cutting process is completed, tubular member  30  may have waste products or dross disposed along the interior of tubular member  30 . The dross may comprise the parts or scraps of tubular member  30  that are removed from tubular member  30  in forming slots  22 . The dross may take the form of a dust-like or bead-like material that tends to accumulate along the various surfaces (e.g. the inner surface  44 ) of tubular member  30 . In some instances, it may be desirable to avoid and/or eliminate depositing dross on the inner surface  44  of tubular member  30 . 
         [0067]    In addition to preventing dross from accumulating along the various surfaces (e.g. the inner surface  44  of tubular member  30 ), chemical etching may also remove portions of tubular member  30 . This may be desirable for a number of reasons. For example, by virtue of removing portions of tubular member  30 , chemical etching may be used to create a variety of different slot configurations and/or orientations. This may include removing portions of tubular member  30  at or adjacent slots  22  via a chemical etching process. 
         [0068]    Therefore, as stated above, it may be desirable to apply chemical treatment (e.g. chemical etching) to tubular member  30  after laser processing in order to complete the creation of slots  22 .  FIGS. 4B and 4C  illustrate tubular member  30 . In  FIG. 4B , tubular member  30  is shown prior to a chemical etching step. Conversely,  FIG. 4C  illustrates tubular member  30  following a chemical etching step. At least some of the structural differences that may be incorporated into tubular member  30  using chemical etching can be seen by comparing  FIG. 4B  and  FIG. 4C . 
         [0069]    For example,  FIG. 4C  shows slot  22  as the open space created in the location where the remaining portion  38  (e.g. the “bottom” or “floor” of cavity  34  of tubular member  30 ) had been prior to chemical treatment. As stated above, it is contemplated that tubular member  30  (referred to above) may turn into tubular member  20  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) after laser and/or chemical processing steps. In other words, after the removal of remaining portion  38  (e.g. by chemical treatment), cavity  34  may develop into slot  22  (shown in  FIG. 4C ). Therefore,  FIG. 4C  shows a cross-section of slot  22  having open space in the location where the remaining portion  38  had been prior to chemical treatment. 
         [0070]    In some instances, chemical treatment may vary (e.g. remove material from) surfaces of tubular member  30  (e.g. the inner surface/diameter, the outer surface/diameter, the wall thickness, or both of tubular member  30 ). This may include removing portions of tubular member  30  along the outer diameter, inner diameter, or both via a chemical etching process. Consequently, in some instances the dimensions of tubular member  30  may change as material is removed from a particular portion of tubular member  30 . For example, chemical treatment (e.g. chemical etching) may result in an increase in the inner diameter when material is removed from the inner surface, a decrease in the outer diameter when material is removed from the outer surface and/or a reduction in wall thickness as material is removed from both the inner and outer surfaces. 
         [0071]    Furthermore, the chemical etching process may act on one or more surfaces of slots  22 , thereby increasing the size of the slot as material is removed from the one or more slot  22  surfaces. 
         [0072]    In some instances, chemical treatment of tubular member may uniformly remove material from all the surfaces of tubular member  30 . However, in other instances material may be selectively removed from one or more surfaces of tubular member  30 . For example, selected portions of tubular member  30  may be “masked” and thereby shielded from the chemical etching process. In some instances, material may be selectively removed from one or more surfaces of slots  22  to customize the slot  22  dimensions, configuration and/or shape. 
         [0073]    For example, in some instances, chemical etching may be applied to tubular member  30  to the extent that remaining portion “Z” is removed and slot  22  is created. It can be appreciated that chemical etching may remove approximately one half of thickness “Z” from the “top” of remaining portion  38  and one half of thickness “Z” from the “bottom” (e.g. the inner surface of tubular member  30 ) of remaining portion  38 . Furthermore, one half thickness “Z” may also be removed from the entire outer surface of tubular member  30  and one half thickness “Z” may also be removed from the entire inner surface of tubular member  30 . 
         [0074]    In at least some embodiments, chemical etching may occur while moving tubular member  30  in and out of an acid solution and/or rotating tubular member  30  within an acid solution. For example, tubular member  30  may be etched by bringing tubular member  30  into and out of a bath material, rotating tubular member  30  in a bath, or both. In some instances, however, rotation or translation may not be required. Therefore, fluid agitation or flow may be used instead. In other instances, no motion may be implemented. In some embodiments, the speed at which tubular member  30  is translated and/or rotated may vary. In general, the rate of motion may correlate to the rate of mass-removal from tubular member  30 . It can be appreciated that the longer that tubular member  30  is in a given bath material, the greater amount of material that may be removed from tubular member  30 . Thus, if one end of tubular member  30  spends more time in bath material, more material along that end may be removed (resulting in greater changes in inner diameter, outer diameter, slot width, or combinations thereof at that end). This property may be altered, for example, by masking portions of tubular member  30  so that one or more structural characteristic (e.g., inner diameter, outer diameter, slot width, etc.) may be left unaltered be altered to a lesser extent. 
         [0075]    As stated, tubular member  20  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) may represent tubular member is  30  after laser and/or chemical processing. Further, as shown in  FIG. 2 , slot  22  extends from outer surface  42  to inner surface  44  of tubular member  20 . In other words, the combination of the laser processing and chemical treatment has removed an entire portion of tubular wall thickness  36  that defines slot  22 . It is contemplated the methodology of utilizing laser processing in combination with chemical treatment may create more than one slot  22  in tubular member  20 . As stated above, performing chemical treatment after laser processing may prevent and/or minimize the amount of dross and/or debris transferred to the inner surfaces of the tubular member  20 . As stated above, the methodology may create a variety of slot combinations, sizes, groupings, shapes, geometries, or the like. 
         [0076]    The forgoing discussion indicates that in at least some embodiments, tubular member  30  may be a part of guidewire  10 . However, this is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as tubular member  30  may be used in essentially any other suitable medical device. For example,  FIG. 5  illustrates another example medical device  100  that takes the form of a catheter and may include a tubular member  130 , which may be similar in form and function to tubular member  30 . For example, tubular member  130  may include a plurality of slots  122 , which may be configured and/or arranged similarly to slots  22 . 
         [0077]    Further, in some instances a proximal portion of tubular member  130  may be coupled to a manifold  119  and a distal portion of tubular member  130  may be coupled to a distal tip  115 . As described above, tubular member  130  may have one or more slots  122  extending through the tubular wall of tubular member  130 . While slots  122  are shown as generally spaced equidistant and uniformly, it is contemplated that slots  122  may be arranged in a variety of configurations, distributions, orientations (both longitudinally and radially), arrangements, or the like. It should be understood that this disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. 
         [0078]    Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of steps without exceeding the scope of the invention. The invention&#39;s scope is, of course, defined in the language in which the appended claims are expressed.