Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Abbott Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Jacky G Duchamp

Teresita Baerga

Misty Lynn Gervais

Cheryl Rice

Rosabel Chang

Fernando Gonzalez

Keith G Sanders

A catheter having an elongated shaft with a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one lumen, and a distal portion of the shaft being at least in part within an outer sheath having a wedge-shaped distal end. In one embodiment, the outer sheath around the distal end of the shaft is the distal skirt section of the balloon. In an alternative embodiment, the outer sheath is a sleeve member having at least a portion located distal to the distal end of the balloon.

Balloon catheter having a flexible distal end

A balloon catheter having a balloon with a reduced slippage lubricious coating, and a method of performing a medical procedure such as a balloon dilatation procedure in a patient's blood vessel. The second coating (i.e., the balloon coating) is lubricious to facilitate movement of the catheter in the patient's body lumen, yet has sufficiently low lubricity such that the slippage of the inflated balloon from a desired site within the blood vessel is reduced compared to a balloon coated with the first lubricious coating.

Reduced slippage balloon catheter and method of using same

A balloon catheter having a multilayered shaft with variable flexibility along the length of the shaft. In a presently preferred embodiment, the multilayered shaft has a multilayered outer tubular member and an inner tubular member, both the inner and outer tubular members having sections along which the flexibility and/or diameter of the tubular members decrease. These diameter and flexibility transition sections along the outer tubular member are preferably aligned with transitions along the inner tubular member, to provide improved catheter performance.

Balloon catheter having a multilayered shaft with variable flexibility

A catheter having an elongated shaft, an inflatable balloon on a distal shaft section, and a distal tip member bonded to a surface of the distal end of the balloon. The balloon has a proximal skirt section and a distal skirt section sealingly secured to the shaft, and an inflatable section therebetween with an interior in fluid communication with the at least one lumen of the shaft. The distal skirt section of the balloon has a proximal portion, and a distal portion with a smaller outer diameter than the proximal portion. Preferably, the distal tip member has a proximal section with an inner surface bonded to an outer surface of the distal portion of the distal skirt section, and a distal section extending beyond the distal end of the balloon.

Balloon catheter having a balloon distal skirt section with a reduced outer diameter secured to a soft distal tip member

A catheter having an elongated shaft, a balloon on a distal shaft section, and a distal tip having at least a section formed by a distal end portion of the shaft and an outer sheath member fused together. The outer sheath member has a sidewall break at least partially filled with the polymeric material of the outer surface of the distal end portion of the shaft. The outer sheath member preferably comprises a first polymeric material having a higher Shore durometer hardness than a second polymeric material forming the outer surface of the shaft distal end portion. One aspect of the invention is directed to a method of making a balloon catheter, in which the polymeric material of the outer surface of the shaft is caused to soften and flow into the opening formed by the break in the sidewall of the outer sheath, thus forming the distal tip.

Balloon catheter having a spiral cut distal end

A catheter having an elongated shaft having at least a section which is multilayered with a first layer and a second layer secured to the first layer, and a mandrel having at least a section between the first and second layers. In one presently preferred embodiment, the mandrel is in contact with an outer surface of the first layer and with an inner surface of the second layer.

Catheter having a multilayered shaft section with a reinforcing mandrel

The invention is directed to an intravascular balloon catheter and a method for forming the same. The catheter includes an elongated shaft having proximal and distal ends, a guidewire receiving lumen extending through at least a distal portion of the elongated shaft; and a balloon on a distal shaft section. A distal portion the guidewire receiving lumen has different stiffness along a length thereof.

Low profile catheter

A method and system for forming a medical device component having a section with a reduced wall thickness, and the device component formed thereby. The method generally comprises rotating a medical device component while a material removal device is placed into contact with a section of the rotating component, to thereby remove material therefrom. In one embodiment, the medical device component is a catheter balloon in which at least one of the proximal and distal shaft sections of the balloon is thinned according to the method of the invention. In another embodiment, the component is a polymeric tube, including polymeric tubes useful in forming a distal tip or catheter shaft section of a catheter.

Growing community of inventors

Campbell, CA, United States of America

Jacky G Duchamp