Medical device including improved expandable balloon
US6592550B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 15, 2000 |
| Grant date | Jul 15, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 3, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC08F283/04
- WIPO fieldMacromolecular chemistry, polymers
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A medical device (10) includes a catheter shaft (11) including inner and outer catheter shafts (12 and 14), and an expandable balloon (18) carried by the catheter shaft (11). The balloon (18) is made from an irradiation cross-linked mixture of a polyamide elastomer and at least one additional cross-linking reactant. The polyamide elastomer can be a polyester amide, a polyether ester amide or a polyether amide, and is preferably a nylon block copolymer. The cross-linking reactant can be: (a) a difunctional material, (b) a trifunctional material, (c) a tetrafunctional material, or (d) an aromatic molecule containing at least two ring substituents, each of the ring substituents having labile hydrogens at a benzylic site therein. The cross-linking reactant can also be diallyl phthalate or meta-phenylene dimaleimide. Irradiation is carried out by exposure to an electron beam or to ultraviolet, X- or gamma radiation, preferably at a total fluence of about 0.5 to about 20 megarads. The amount of the cross-linking reactant is selected to avoid the formation of gelling during the process by which the balloon (18) is made, and the amount of the cross-linking agent and the irradiation fluence…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.