Patent ID: 7172796

Claim:
A balloon catheter comprising: an elongated body extending between a proximal end and a distal end, said body internally having at least one lumen; and a balloon made from a composite material composed of short-fibers for reinforcement and a matrix resin, said balloon being disposed on the distal side of said elongated body; wherein the short-fibers in a lonqitudinal cross-section of the balloon comprise short-fibers oriented in the major-axis direction of the balloon, short-fibers oriented in the direction oblique to the major-axis direction and short-fibers oriented in the direction nearly perpendicular to the major-axis direction, and the short-fibers in a diametrical cross-section of the balloon include short-fibers oriented in the circumferential direction of the balloon, short-fibers oriented in the direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction, that is in a major-axis direction, and short-fibers oriented in the direction oblique to the circumferential direction; and wherein said short-fibers are oriented in said balloon in such a manner that in the longitudinal cross-section of said balloon 25% or more of said short-fibers are oriented in the major-axis direction of said balloon, 25% or more of said short-fibers are oriented in the direction oblique to the major-axis direction, and the remaining short-fibers are oriented in the direction nearly perpendicular to the major-axis direction; and in the diametrical cross-section of said balloon, 8% or more of said short-fibers are oriented in the circumferential direction of said balloon, 25% or more of said short-fibers are oriented in the direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction, that is, in the major-axis direction, and the remaining short-fibers are oriented in the direction oblique to the circumferential direction.