Multilayer medical device
View Patent ↗A medical device such as a tube or a balloon including wall structure with multiple layers. The wall structure can distribute stress, resulting in reduced defect propagation and failure.
1. A multilayer medical balloon produced by radial expansion of a coextrusion, the coextrusion and the balloon comprising four sequential layers, said four sequential layers being arranged in alternating order of:
a first layer of first polymer material which is a first polyamide block copolymer or a first polyester block copolymer,
a second layer of a second polymer material of a second polymer material that is harder than said first polymer material,
a third layer of said first polymer material, and
a fourth layer said second polymer material, the first polymer layers having a layer thickness in the range of from about 0.05 micron to about 5 microns and the second polymer layers having a layer thickness of from about 0.1 micron to about 10 microns.
2. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein the balloon includes at least five alternating layers of first polymer material and second polymer material.
3. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein the balloon includes at least seven alternating layers of first polymer material and second polymer material.
4. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 3 wherein the balloon includes at least 13 layers alternating layers of first polymer material and second polymer material.
5. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein the double wall thickness of the balloon is about 0.0008 inch to about 0.004 inch.
6. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein the second polymer material comprises a polymer is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyamides, and thermoplastic polyesters and thermoplastic elastomers.
7. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 6 wherein the second polymer further comprises a liquid crystal polymer.
8. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein said first polymer material is said first polyester block copolymer and the second polymer material comprises a polyester.
9. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein said first polymer material is said first polyester block copolymer and the second polymer material comprises a second polyester block copolymer.
10. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein said first polymer material is said first polyamide block copolymer and the second polymer material comprises a polyamide.
11. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein said first polymer material is said first polyamide block copolymer and the second polymer material comprises a second polyamide block copolymer.
12. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 1 wherein the balloon has an inflated diameter of about 1.5 mm to about 6.0 mm.
13. The multilayer medical balloon of claim 12 wherein the balloon has a double wall thickness of from about 0.001 inch to about 0.0022 inch.