A serration balloon can have a number of different components and can be made in a number of different manners. One or more longitudinally extending members with periodic raised wedges can be attached to a medical balloon. They can be attached with a fiber coating, a polymer coating, or other methods. A polymer matrix can be used to bond the longitudinally extending member to the surface of the balloon. The fiber coating can be, for example, a thread or mesh that secures the longitudinally extending member to the balloon. The medical balloon can be an angioplasty balloon, such as an off-the-shelf angioplasty balloon.

A composite material comprising an elastomer and nanocellulose. The nanocellulose may comprise a nanocellulose material derived from plants having C4 leaf anatomy, or a nanocellulose material derived from a plant material having a lesser amount of lignin than hemi-cellulose, or a nanocellulose having a hemicellulose content of from 25% to 55% by weight of the nanocellulose material, or a nanocellulose comprising nanofibrils having a diameter of up to 5 nm, or a nanocellulose comprising nanocellulose material of plant origin comprising nanocellulose particles or fibres having an aspect ratio of at least 250, or the composite material having a stiffness of not greater than 2.5 times the stiffness of the elastomer without the nanocellulose material being present, or the nanocellulose particles or fibres being derived from a plant material having a hemicellulose content of 30% or higher (w/w). The nanocellulose may be derived from arid Spinifex.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for treatment of respiratory disorders such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic sinusitis, including cystic fibrosis, interstitial fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and neoplasia. The method involves administration, preferably oral, nasal or pulmonary administration, of anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative drugs (rapamycin or paclitaxel and their analogues) and an additive.

A cage can be positioned around a medical balloon, such as an angioplasty balloon, to assist in a medical procedure. The cage can include a plurality of strips, each extending between a set of rings including first and second rings. As the balloon expands, the first and second rings move closer together and allow the strips to expand outward. The cage may have wedge dissectors on the strips.

Medical devices and methods for making and using medical devices are disclosed. An example medical device may include a catheter. The catheter may include a catheter shaft and a balloon. The balloon may comprise a cone portion, a waist portion, and a body portion. A fiber braid may be disposed along the balloon. An inner surface of the waist portion may be thermally bonded to an outer surface of the catheter shaft and an inner surface of the fiber braid may be adhesively bonded to an outer surface of the waist portion.

A balloon catheter includes an elongated catheter shaft, an expandable balloon connected to the elongated catheter shaft, and a sheath that defines a lumen and includes a therapeutic agent disposed within the lumen. The balloon catheter further includes a first configuration and a second configuration. When in the first configuration, the expandable balloon is disposed distally from the sheath such that an outer surface of the expandable balloon does not contact the lumen. Further, when in the second configuration, at least a portion of the outer surface of the expandable balloon is disposed within the lumen of the sheath such that it contacts the therapeutic agent. At least a portion of the therapeutic agent that contacts the outer surface of the expandable balloon is transferred from the lumen of the sheath to the outer surface of the expandable balloon when the balloon catheter is in the second configuration.

A balloon catheter includes a catheter tube and an inflatable balloon. The ends of the balloon are attached to the catheter tube. The outside surface of the balloon in an uninflated state is provided with a relief structure which in an inflated state of the balloon is substantially disappeared. A method for producing such a relief structure is by winding a wire helically around the outer surface of the balloon.

The invention relates to a method for producing a catheter (1) having a proximal segment, a distal segment, and an expandable element (2) arranged in the distal segment, it being possible to bring the expandable element (2) from a contracted state into an expanded state by supply of a fluid and there being arranged around the expandable element (2) in the contracted state a removable protector in the form of a tube (5), and the tube (5) being pulled over the expandable element (2) and being guided with the catheter (1) through one or more nozzles (6), stretching the tube (5) and reducing the inner diameter of the tube (5). Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding catheter (1) having a tube (5) pulled over the expandable element (2). The invention provides a catheter (1) having a particularly small cross section in the region of the distal segment.

A medical device includes a structural element comprising an outer surface and a material on the outer surface of the structural element. The material defines void spaces containing a gas entrained within the void spaces. The material, upon contact with physiological fluid, is configured to release the gas in an amount sufficient for the gas to be imaged by ultrasound.

Medical devices and methods for making and using medical devices are disclosed. An example medical device may include a catheter. The catheter may include a catheter shaft and a balloon. The balloon may comprise a cone portion, a waist portion, and a body portion. A fiber braid may be disposed along the balloon. An inner surface of the waist portion may be thermally bonded to an outer surface of the catheter shaft and an inner surface of the fiber braid may be adhesively bonded to an outer surface of the waist portion.