Claims
- 1. A balloon for an intraluminal catheter, wherein the balloon comprises ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin having a node and fibril structure comprising nodes interconnected by fibrils.
- 2. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin has a molecular weight of about 2 million to about 10 million gm/mole.
- 3. The balloon of claim 1 wherein the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin comprises an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene.
- 4. The balloon of claim 1 wherein the balloon comprises a microporous ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin having a porosity of about 20% to about 90%.
- 5. The balloon of claim 1 wherein the balloon is inflatable from a noninflated state, and the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin exhibits volumetric compressibility in the uninflated state.
- 6. The balloon of claim 1 wherein the balloon in a noninflated state comprises ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin in a compressed configuration having a reduced porosity relative to the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin in a noncompressed configuration.
- 7. The balloon of claim 6, wherein the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin in the compressed configuration has a porosity of about 20% to about 60%.
- 8. The balloon of claim 6, wherein the balloon expands compliantly at pressures below about 6 atm and substantially less compliantly at pressures above about 6 atm.
- 9. The balloon of claim 8, wherein the balloon has an outer diameter which expands by about 70% to about 450% of the uninflated diameter at pressures below about 6 atm.
- 10. The balloon of claim 1, wherein the ultra high molecular weight polyolefin having a node and fibril microstructure is prepared from aggregated polyolefin particles, the aggregate having a diameter of about 100 μm to about 700 μm.
- 11. The balloon of claim 10, wherein the aggregate comprises ultra high molecular weight polyolefin primary particles having a particle size of about 0.1 μm to about 40 μm.
- 12. A balloon catheter having an elongated shaft having a proximal end, a distal end and at least one lumen, and a balloon on a distal shaft section having an interior in fluid communication with the shaft lumen, the balloon comprising the balloon of claim 1.
- 13. A method for forming a balloon for an intraluminal catheter, comprising
a) compacting an ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin; b) deforming the compacted polyolefin to render the polyolefin microporous and to impart a node and fibril microstructure to the polyolefin; and c) reducing the porosity of the microporous polyolefin to form a reduced porosity polyolefin having the node and fibril microstructure.
- 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the porosity of the microporous polyolefin is reduced by compressing the microporous polyolefin to form compressed polyolefin having a node and fibril microstructure.
- 15. The method of claim 14 including, before or after compression of the microporous polyolefin, forming a tubular member from the microporous polyolefin.
- 16. The method of claim 14 wherein the microporous polyolefin has a thickness, and compressing the microporous polyolefin comprises reducing the thickness of the microporous polyolefin
- 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the thickness is reduced by 10% to 50%.
- 18. The method of claim 14 wherein the compacted polyolefin is deformed by stretching in at least one direction, and the porosity of the microporous polyolefin is reduced by compressing the microporous polyolefin in a direction substantially perpendicular to the at least one direction of stretching.
- 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the microporous polyolefin has a thickness, and compressing the microporous polyolefin further comprises restraining the thickness from increasing.
- 20. The method of claim 14 wherein the compacted polyolefin is deformed by stretching in at least one direction, and the porosity of the microporous polyolefin is reduced by compressing the microporous polyolefin in a direction substantially parallel to the at least one direction of stretching.
- 21. The method of claim 14 wherein the microporous polyolefin has a length, and compressing the microporous polyolefin comprises reducing the length of the microporous polyolefin
- 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the length is reduced by 10% to 50%.
- 23. The method of claim 14, wherein the polyolefin is polyethylene and forming a balloon from the polyethylene comprises wrapping the deformed polyethylene around a mandrel to form a tube and heat fusing the wrapped polyethylene while substantially maintaining the oriented node and fibril structure.
- 24. The method of claim 23 including, after heat fusing the wrapped polyethylene, axially compressing the tube along a longitudinal axis of the tube.
- 25. A method of performing a medical procedure, comprising
a) introducing into a patient a balloon catheter comprising
i) an elongated shaft having a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one lumen therein; and ii) a balloon on a distal shaft section which has an interior in fluid communication with the shaft lumen, and which comprises ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin, and which has an noninflated state comprising the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin in a compressed configuration having a node and fibril structure and a reduced porosity relative to the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin in a noncompressed configuration; and b) introducing inflation media into the balloon interior to inflate the balloon.
- 26. A stent delivery system, comprising a catheter having an elongated catheter shaft with an inflation lumen, a balloon on a distal section of the shaft, and a stent releasably mounted on the balloon, wherein a component of the system is formed of an ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin having a node and fibril structure comprising nodes interconnected by fibrils, wherein the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin is in a compressed configuration having a reduced porosity relative to the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin in a noncompressed configuration.
- 27. The stent delivery system of claim 26 wherein the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin comprising polyethylene.
- 28. The stent delivery system of claim 26 wherein the component formed of ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin is the balloon.
- 29. The stent delivery system of claim 26, wherein the component formed of ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin is a sheath on a surface of the stent.
- 30. A vascular graft, comprising a tubular body formed of an ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin having a node and fibril microstructure comprising nodes interconnected by fibrils, wherein the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin is in a compressed configuration having a reduced porosity relative to the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin in a noncompressed configuration.
- 31. A medical device comprising a radially expandable component formed of a polymeric material having a node and fibril structure with a compressed preexpanded configuration in which the polymeric material has a reduced porosity relative to the polymeric material in a noncompressed configuration.
- 32. The medical device of claim 31 wherein the polymeric material is ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin.
- 33. The medical device of claim 32 wherein the ultrahigh molecular weight polyolefin is ultra high molecular weight polyethylene.
- 34. The medical device of claim 31 wherein the component comprises the polymeric material helically wrapped and fused into a tube, and wherein the compressed preexpansion configuration comprises the tube axially compressed along a longitudinal axis of the tube.
- 35. The medical device of claim 31 wherein the component comprises the polymeric material helically wrapped and fused into a tube, and wherein the compressed preexpansion configuration comprises the tube radially compressed to reduce the profile of the tube.
- 36. The medical device of claim 31 wherein the component comprises an axially compressed sheet of the polymeric material, the compressed sheet of polymeric material being helically wrapped and fused into a tube to form the component.
- 37. A method of forming a radially expandable component of a medical device, comprising
a) helically wrapping polymeric material having a node and fibril structure, and fusing the helically wrapped material together to form a tube of the polymeric material; and b) heating the polymeric material tube to an elevated temperature, and axially compressing the polymeric material tube at the elevated temperature along a longitudinal axis of the tube to form the radially expandable component.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part application of Ser. No. 09/470,056, filed Dec. 22, 1999, entitled Medical Device Formed of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09713642 |
Nov 2000 |
US |
Child |
10438525 |
May 2003 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09470056 |
Dec 1999 |
US |
Child |
09713642 |
Nov 2000 |
US |