Patent ID: 7862541

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a balloon catheter having a soft distal tip, the balloon catheter having an outer tube and an inner tube extending within at least a distal portion of the outer tube, and spaced apart from at least a portion of the outer tube to form an inflation lumen therebetween, and a balloon disposed adjacent the distal end of the balloon catheter, the method comprising: placing a distal neck portion of the balloon over a distal portion of the inner tube so as to leave at least part of the distal portion of the inner tube extending beyond the distal neck portion of the balloon; placing a sleeve over the extended part of the distal portion of the inner tube so that the sleeve contacts the distal neck portion of the balloon, the sleeve being formed of a material that is soft in relation to the inner tube so as to provide a soft, flexible navigation tip once the balloon catheter is formed, and a portion of the sleeve extending beyond the distal portion of the inner tube; placing a shrink tube over the distal neck portion of the balloon and a portion of the sleeve, the shrink tube terminating at the distal end of the inner tube, and portions of the distal neck and sleeve that are covered by the shrink tube forming an essentially uniform outer circumference, and said portion of the sleeve extending beyond the distal portion of the inner tube also extending beyond the distal end of the shrink tube; placing a mandrel through the center of the inner tube so that the mandrel extends beyond the distal end of the sleeve; and applying one or both of pressure and heat so that the distal neck portion and sleeve are bonded to the inner tube and the portion of the sleeve that extends beyond the distal portion of the inner tube essentially eliminates any step between the inner tube and the sleeve.