Patent ID: 7981244

Claim:
A method of making a balloon catheter, comprising: a) positioning a distal section of a catheter shaft having at least a surface formed of a polymeric material within a first tube forming a tubular inner layer of a balloon, the tubular inner layer having a proximal end section, and a distal end section and being formed of an elastomeric polymeric material; b) applying heat at the proximal and distal end sections of the inner tubular layer, to melt the shaft polymeric material and the polymeric material of the inner layer and fusion bond the proximal and distal end sections to the catheter shaft; c) positioning a second tube forming a tubular outer layer of the balloon on an outer surface of the tubular inner layer, with a proximal end section and distal end section of the tubular outer layer in contact with the catheter shaft, the proximal and the distal end sections of the tubular outer layer having at least a portion impregnated with a polymeric material compatible with the polymeric material of the shaft and adjacent to a section of the outer layer which is not impregnated with the compatible polymeric material, wherein the sections having at least a portion thereof impregnated with the polymeric material are shorter along a length of the outer layer than the section that is not impregnated with the polymeric material; and d) applying heat at the proximal and distal end sections of the outer tubular layer, to melt the shaft polymeric material and the impregnated compatible polymeric material and fusion bond the impregnated portions of the proximal and distal end sections of the outer layer to the catheter shaft.