Method of making a catheter balloon by laser fusing wrapped material

Abstract

A method of making a catheter balloon or other expandable medical device, and a balloon or other device formed thereby, in which at least a portion of a tubular, wrapped sheet of polymeric material is heated with laser radiation to form a fused seam extending along at least a section of the length of the tubular body. In one embodiment, the portion of the sheet heated by laser radiation is less than the entire area of the sheet, so that the fused seam is formed by heating portions of the sheet without heating sections of the sheet spaced apart from the fused seam. In one embodiment, the sheet of polymeric material comprises a polymer having a porous and preferably a node and fibril microstructure, which in one embodiment is selected from the group consisting of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) and expanded ultra high molecular weight polyethylene.

1 - 18 . (canceled)  
   
   
       19 . A balloon for a catheter, formed by the process comprising wrapping a sheet of polymeric material to form a tubular body having a length, and forming a fused seam extending along at least a section of the length of the tubular body by heating at least a portion of the polymeric material with laser radiation.  
   
   
       20 . A balloon for a catheter, comprising a tubular body of polymeric material having a fused seam, the polymeric material forming the fused seam being fully sintered and the polymeric material forming sections of the tubular body adjacent to the fused seam being not fully sintered.  
   
   
       21 . The balloon of  claim 20  wherein the polymeric material forming the sections of the tubular body adjacent to the fused seam is about 80% to less than 100% sintered.  
   
   
       22 . The balloon of  claim 21  wherein the polymeric material forming the fused seam is 100% sintered.  
   
   
       23 . The balloon of  claim 20  wherein the polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, expanded ultra high molecular weight polyolefin, expanded ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, porous ultra high molecular weight polyolefin, porous ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, porous polyethylene, and porous polypropylene.  
   
   
       24 . The balloon of  claim 20  wherein the polymeric material is expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, and the tensile strength of the tubular body after the fused seam is formed is about 2000 psi to about 20,000 psi.  
   
   
       25 . The balloon of  claim 20  wherein the polymeric material is expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, and the polymeric material of the fused seam has a different crystal structure than the polymeric material of sections of the tubular body spaced apart from the fused seam.