Arrow International Limited

St. Jude Medical, Inc.

Ilyssa A Hunt

Robert R Andrews

William Edelman

Joel M Lieblein

Charles W Kellstedt

Jack W Curran

Medical instrument tray

An intra-aortic balloon packaging sheath is provided which includes a long slim extruded plastic tube for storing a furled thin-walled intra-aortic balloon. An entry section of the same plastic is injection molded onto one end of the tube, with the entry section including an outwardly flared entry port surface which is spaced from one end of the tube, and an internal passageway which is co-linear and congruent with the internal cross-section of the tube from the respective end of the tube through the intersection of the second internal passageway with the outwardly flared passageway. Thereby a smooth internal surface is provided through the flared passageway into the internal passageway and through the later into the tube. The exit end of the sheath tube is inverted by use of a heated tipping die such that a distal end portion is turned outwardly and back circumjacent another portion of the tube wall to form a smoothly rounded exit passageway of the tube at the exit end.

Method for making a packaging sheath for intra-aortic balloon catheters

Packaging sheaths for intra-aortic balloon catheters

Growing community of inventors

Tyngsboro, MA, United States of America

Ilyssa A Hunt