Abstract: A catheter may include an elongate member and a distal end therapy-providing portion attached at a distal portion of the elongate member. The elongate member may have an outer generally tubular structure having, firstly, an inner tube structure of rigid material having a circumferential cut through at least a portion of a longitudinal length of the inner tube structure to allow bending of the circumferentially-cut portion of the inner tube structure while maintaining a substantially uniform cross-sectional area and shape at a point of bending, and secondly, a separate outer tube that surrounds and is spaced apart from at least the circumferentially-cut portion of the inner tube structure. The circumferential cut may be a helical cut having a pitch that may vary over the portion of the longitudinal length. An inner diameter of the outer tube may be approximately 0.003? greater than an outer diameter of the inner tube.

Abstract: A catheter may include an elongate member and a distal end therapy-providing portion attached at a distal portion of the elongate member. The elongate member may have an outer generally tubular structure having, firstly, an inner tube structure of rigid material having a circumferential cut through at least a portion of a longitudinal length of the inner tube structure to allow bending of the circumferentially-cut portion of the inner tube structure while maintaining a substantially uniform cross-sectional area and shape at a point of bending, and secondly, a separate outer tube that surrounds and is spaced apart from at least the circumferentially-cut portion of the inner tube structure. The circumferential cut may be a helical cut having a pitch that may vary over the portion of the longitudinal length. An inner diameter of the outer tube may be approximately 0.003? greater than an outer diameter of the inner tube.

Abstract: An intravascular medical catheter and method of manufacturing a medical catheter are provided herein. The medical catheter includes a guidewire shaft, a sleeve, and a balloon. The sleeve is attached to the guidewire shaft while a distal tail of the balloon is thermally bonded to the sleeve. Because of the sleeve, the distal tail of the balloon can be thermally bonded even if the guidewire shaft is made of a material which is thermally incompatible with the balloon. Thus, for example, a medical catheter can be made with an HDPE guidewire shaft and a balloon made of PEBA, PET, Polyurethane, or Nylon. The resulting medical catheter has a catheter tip which is durable, flexible, and has a relatively low profile for good tracking in the body vessel and good lesion crossing.

Abstract: A medical catheter comprising a catheter shaft defining an inflation lumen and a guidewire shaft defining a guidewire lumen. The guidewire shaft is coaxial with the catheter shaft and runs longitudinally through the catheter shaft extending distally beyond the distal end of the catheter shaft. The catheter has an inflatable balloon having a proximal tail and a distal tail. The proximal tail is mounted at the distal end of the catheter shaft, the distal tail is mounted on the guidewire shaft. The balloon is in fluid communication with the inflation lumen. A distal stopper is sealingly affixed between the outer diameter of the guidewire shaft and the inner diameter of the distal tail. A proximal stopper is sealingly affixed between the outer diameter of the catheter shaft and the inner diameter of the proximal tail. The distal and proximal stopper are annular in shape and are in length shorter than the balloon tail and are of uniform circumferential thickness.

Abstract: Disclosed is a medical catheter comprising a guidewire shaft defining a guidewire lumen. A distal tip extension defines a distal tip extension lumen having at a proximal end thereof a distal end of the guidewire shaft sealingly affixed therein. The inflatable balloon has a body portion, a tail portion and a cone shaped portion. The cone-shaped portion extends between the distal end of the body portion and the proximal end of the tail portion. The balloon tail portion is sealingly affixed to the distal tip extension such that the proximal end of the distal tip extension extends proximally from the proximal end of the balloon tail portion, the distal end of the distal tip extension extends distally from the distal end of the balloon tail and the distal end of the guidewire shaft is in alignment with the proximal end of the balloon tail portion.

Abstract: A sheath arrangement for spiral balloon catheters which permits improved perfusion during dilation of a body vessel. Methods of making the sheath and assembling the sheath onto a balloon and the resulting sheathed balloon catheter are included. A tube sized to fit over a spiral balloon is cut, preferably by laser cutting, to form ribs extending from the tube ends with collars at the distal ends of the ribs. Preferably, the tube ends are trimmed to match the balloon spiral lobes. The sheath is placed over the spiral balloon, bonded to the balloon lobes. The collars are secured to the catheter adjacent to the balloon. When the balloon is expanded to dilate a body vessel, blood can freely pass through the interlobe channels while the sheath prevents entry of arterial intima from entering into the channels. The rib and collar arrangement securely maintains the sheath in place on the balloon.