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.

An example medical device includes a balloon that is inflatable to an inflated configuration. The balloon includes a non-compliant layer coextruded on an inner layer, and an outer layer coextruded on the non-compliant layer. The non-compliant layer is configured to delaminate from the inner and the outer layers in the inflated configuration. The non-compliant layer may be configured to rupture in the inflated configuration. An example technique includes inflating the balloon to a predetermined pressure sufficient to rupture the non-compliant layer and insufficient to rupture both the inner and outer layers. The example technique further includes deflating the balloon, and introducing the balloon into a vasculature. Another example technique includes coextruding a non-compliant layer on an inner layer, coextruding an outer layer on the non-compliant layer, and forming a balloon from the inner layer, the non-compliant layer, and the outer layer.

A medical device includes a polymer stent (or scaffold) crimped to a catheter balloon. The stent, after being expanded from a crimped state by the balloon, provides a crush recovery of about 90% of its expanded diameter after being pinched or crushed by an amount equal to about 50% of the expanded diameter. The stent has a pattern including a W-shaped or W-V shaped closed cell and links connecting the closed cells.

A system includes a first tubular member comprising a first polymer and a second tubular member comprising a second polymer. The first tubular member defines a lumen configured to receive at least a portion of the second tubular member therein to define a joint region. The system further includes a compression sleeve configured to receive at least a portion of the first tubular member at the joint region and an energy source comprising a fiber laser configured to deliver energy to the joint region to thermally weld the first tubular member to the second tubular member. In some examples, the energy includes a wavelength of radiation transmittable through the compression sleeve and the first tubular member, and absorbable by the first tubular member and the second tubular member.

A process for fixing an implant to a balloon includes providing, in an interior of a sleeve, a heated balloon having a pressurizable balloon interior and an implant crimped to the balloon. The implant has a supporting structure with a multiplicity of through openings. A negative pressure is applied in the interior of the sleeve and a positive pressure is applied to the balloon interior, so that the balloon is deep-drawn into the openings of the implant, producing a form-locking connection between the balloon and the implant. A configuration for carrying out the process and an apparatus for fixing an implant to a balloon are also provided.

A process for arranging a protective sheath on a drug-coated balloon catheter in a machine. The protective sheath is transported via a transport system into a holding device. A drug coated area of the balloon catheter from contact with the machine. The protective sheath is arranged on a drug-coated area of the balloon catheter by machine relative motion between the balloon catheter and the protective sheath. The protecting can be placing at least one first and one second flexible film between the balloon catheter and a guide of the machine during the relative motion or can be holding the balloon catheter at a position on the catheter away from the drug-coated area during the relative motion.

A method of fabricating a balloon catheter configuration is provided, the method comprises: preparing one catheter body, the catheter body comprises one internal tube, one external tube, and one stripping agent; the internal tube comprises one longitudinal groove and one drain passageway, wherein the longitudinal groove is configured in the exterior surface of the internal tube, the drain passageway is configured inside the internal tube, the external tube covers the internal tube, and the stripping agent is configured between the internal tube and the external tube; removing the internal tube of the catheter to allow one end of the external tube of the catheter body beyond one end of the internal tube adjacent to the external tube; folding the end of the external tube toward the axial center of the catheter; and attaching the end of the external tube to one part of the inner wall of the drain passageway.

A parison for being blow molded into a medical balloon for a catheter includes a first tubular layer having a functional modification and a second tubular layer adapted for bonding with the first tubular layer to form the blow molded balloon. Related methods are disclosed.

The present disclosure is directed toward a composite balloon comprising a layer of material having a porous microstructure (e.g., ePTFE or expanded polyethylene) and a thermoplastic polymeric layer useful for medical applications. The layers of the composite balloons become adhered through a stretch blow-molding process. Methods of making and using such composite balloons are also described amongst others.

An inductively heated mold system enables rapid heating of the mold and rapid cooling to reduce thermal cycling times by employing an inductive coil in a heater module that inductively heats a ferromagnetic layer configured on the mold body, such as around the outside perimeter of the mold body. A cooling channel may be configured between the inductive coil and the ferromagnetic layer on the mold body to allow a fluid to be passed between the mold body and the heater module to rapidly cool the mold body for removal of the molded part. A plurality of heater modules may be employed that can be coupled together such that the cooling fluid passes through the coupled cooling channels from one module to a second module. In this way heater modules can be combined to provide an inductively heated mold system for a variety of mold body sizes, or lengths.