A process for making a sheath used to protect a medical device. The medical device includes a polymer scaffold crimped to a catheter having an expansion balloon. A sheath is placed over the crimped scaffold after crimping to reduce recoil of the crimped polymer scaffold and maintain scaffold-balloon engagement relied on to hold the scaffold to the balloon when the scaffold is being delivered to a target in a body. The sheath is removed by a health professional either by removing the sheath directly or using a tube containing the catheter.

A tool operable to expand an end of a pipe is disclosed. The tool has a longitudinal axis and a vertical axis. The tool includes a working end disposed at a distal end along the longitudinal axis. This working end includes a plurality of jaws movable between a closed position and an expanded position and rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the tool. Further, the tool includes a main body connected to the working end. This main body includes a handle disposed at a proximal end along the vertical axis of the tool, wherein the handle is configured to be gripped in an orientation that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tool. Further, the tool includes a trigger disposed on the handle, and the trigger is configured to be activated by trigger movement along the vertical axis of the tool.

A medical device includes a polymer scaffold crimped to a catheter having an expansion balloon. The scaffold has a structure that produces a low late lumen loss when implanted within a peripheral vessel and also exhibits a high axial fatigue life. In a preferred embodiment the scaffold forms ring structures interconnected by links, where a ring has 12 crowns and at most two links connecting adjacent rings.

Provided are methods and systems for manufacturing and using heat-shrink elastomeric. An example method of manufacturing a heat-shrink elastomeric element comprises providing a thermoplastic elastomeric element having a first shape; modifying the thermoplastic elastomeric element to produce a thermoset elastomeric element having the first shape; heating the thermoset elastomeric element to a temperature of at least the glass transition temperature of the thermoset elastomeric element; adjusting the first shape of the thermoset elastomeric element to produce a second shape with at least one dimension greater than that of the first shape; and cooling the thermoset elastomeric element to a temperature below that of the glass transition temperature of the thermoset elastomeric element to produce the heat-shrink elastomeric element.

Provided are methods and systems for manufacturing and using heat-shrink elastomeric. An example method of manufacturing a heat-shrink elastomeric element comprises providing a thermoplastic elastomeric element having a first shape; modifying the thermoplastic elastomeric element to produce a thermoset elastomeric element having the first shape; heating the thermoset elastomeric element to a temperature of at least the glass transition temperature of the thermoset elastomeric element; adjusting the first shape of the thermoset elastomeric element to produce a second shape with at least one dimension greater than that of the first shape; and cooling the thermoset elastomeric element to a temperature below that of the glass transition temperature of the thermoset elastomeric element to produce the heat-shrink elastomeric element.

Methods and systems of fabricating a polymeric stent are disclosed herein.

Stents and methods of manufacturing a stents with enhanced fracture toughness are disclosed.

A bioabsorbable scaffold composed of a multilayer structure of alternating layers of different polymers is disclosed. The multilayer structure can have 20 to 1000 layers and the individual thickness of the layers can be 0.2 to 5 microns. A method of making the scaffold including a layer multiplying extrusion process is disclosed.

A bioabsorbable scaffold composed of a multilayer structure of alternating layers of different polymers is disclosed. The multilayer structure can have 20 to 1000 layers and the individual thickness of the layers can be 0.2 to 5 microns. A method of making the scaffold including a layer multiplying extrusion process is disclosed.

Methods and systems of fabricating a polymeric stent are disclosed herein.