A balloon catheter is disclosed that can effectively deliver a drug to living body tissue, a method of manufacturing a balloon catheter, and a treatment method. A balloon catheter is disclosed, the balloon catheter is provided on an outer surface of a balloon with a plurality of elongate bodies which are independent crystals of a water-insoluble drug extending in an elongate form. The elongate bodies include fixed-side elongate bodies which are fixed to the outer surface side of the balloon, and top-side elongate bodies which are bent or broken from the fixed-side elongate bodies and are continuous with or independent of the fixed-side elongate bodies.

An apparatus for rolling a bladder includes a support structure, a rolling pin, and a bladder-mounting pin. The apparatus optionally includes a rolling initiator Rolling a bladder includes inserting the bladder while unrolled into an apparatus for rolling a bladder, inserting the bladder between a rolling pin and a bladder-mounting pin of the rolling machine, and rotating the rolling pin to (a) advance a portion of the bladder between the rolling pin and the bladder-mounting pin, (b) roll the portion of the bladder around the bladder-mounting pin, and (c) drive the bladder-mounting pin to rotate in an opposite direction from that of the rolling pin.

Provided are a drug layer applying device and a method for forming a drug layer which can quickly and easily apply or provide an appropriate amount of a drug on a surface of a medical instrument such as a balloon. A drug layer applying device that applies a drug layer on a surface of a balloon to be inserted into a living body, includes: a deformable porous body capable of holding a coating solution containing a drug and a solvent; a removal unit that is flexibly deformable and arranged alongside the porous body; and a holding base that holds the porous body and the removal unit.

The invention relates to a method for reducing the outer diameter of the balloon (1) of a balloon catheter in the non-expanded state, wherein at least one restriction element (3) is applied to at least a portion of the balloon (1) of the balloon catheter. In this way, the outer diameter of the balloon (1) is thus reduced and, moreover, its flexibility increased.

The method for producing a balloon catheter comprises a tubular object preparing step to prepare a tubular object having a space extending in the distal-proximal direction, a balloon preparing step to prepare a balloon, a balloon placement step to place the balloon in the tubular object and inflate the balloon, and a balloon deflating step to deflate the balloon and form a wing-shaped portion, wherein a projecting portion is placed on within a mean circle C1 centered at a center P1 of the tubular object, and a radius of the mean circle C1 is an average value of a shortest distance D1 from the center P1 of the tubular object to an inside surface P2 of the tubular object and a longest distance D2 from the center P1 of the tubular object to the inside surface P3 of the tubular object on a cross-section in the balloon placement step.

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.

Various methods for optimizing coating of medical devices, such as balloon catheters are disclosed. One method configures catheter balloon folds based on balloon diameter and volume. Other methods include using a specifically-sized protective sheath, using a vacuum, using pressure, pulling the balloon through a coating solution, using at least one spacer or a wick between at least one fold for metering a therapeutic coating into the folds of the balloon, placing an intermediate layer between the balloon and the therapeutic coating, placing a soluble film having a therapeutic agent around the catheter balloon or inside the folds, and any combination thereof. Balloon catheters and catheter balloons having a specific folding configuration, a specifically-sized protective sheath, an intermediate layer, or a soluble film are also disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for coating a medical device are provided. In one embodiment, the method for preparing a substantially uniform coated medical device includes (1) preparing a coating solution comprising a solvent, a therapeutic agent, and an additive; (2) loading a metering dispenser with the coating solution; (3) rotating the medical device about the longitudinal axis of the device and/or moving the medical device along the longitudinal or transverse axis of the device; (4) dispensing the coating solution from the metering dispenser onto a surface of the medical device and flowing the coating solution on the surface of the medical device while the medical device is rotating and/or linearly moving; and (5) evaporating the solvent, forming a substantially uniform coating layer on the medical device.

A device for collecting a biological sample in a subject, the device including an inflatable portion attached to a tubular member, and designed to expand from within the tubular member when inflated and to retract within the tubular member, a surface on the inflatable portion provided with varied thickness to facilitate movement of the inflatable portion between an expanded state and a retracted state, and a plurality of projections on the surface to allow collection of the biological sample when the inflatable portion is in the expanded state.