Patent ID: 8304050

Claim:
A polymeric tubing segment, the tubing segment comprising first, second and third regions disposed sequentially along the length thereof, wherein the polymer disposed in said first region has a different longitudinal extruded orientation from the polymer disposed in said second region and said different longitudinal extruded orientations provide an elongation at yield of the polymeric material in at least one of said regions that is at least 20% less than the elongation at yield of another of said regions, and wherein the tubing segment is a parison for a catheter balloon, the polymer disposed in said second region has a higher or lower longitudinal extruded orientation relative to the polymer disposed in both of the first and third regions, and wherein the polymeric tubing is produced by extrusion wherein the extrusion is controlled to provide the difference in longitudinal extruded orientation of the polymer between the second region and the first and third regions.