Medical devices
View Patent ↗Medical devices, such as medical balloons, catheters having balloons, and stents, having one or more cutting elements are disclosed. In some embodiments, the cutting elements include diamond.
1. A medical device, comprising:
an inflatable balloon;
a cutting element carried by the balloon; and
a deformable member disposed to extend over at least a portion of the cutting element;
wherein the cutting element comprises a material having a hardness of greater than about 5,700 kg/mm 2 , Knoops hardness, and wherein the cutting element, upon expansion of the inflatable balloon, pierces through the deformable member.
2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element comprises diamond.
3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element has a cutting edge, and the deformable member extends over the cutting edge.
4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the deformable member comprises a polymer.
5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the polymer is a material selected from a group consisting of a silicone rubber and a urethane.
6. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a second member between the cutting element and the balloon, the second member having a hardness greater than the hardness of the deformable member.
7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the second member comprises a material selected from a group consisting of a polyimide and a polyamide.
8. The device of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of cutting elements carried by the balloon.
9. The device of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of cutting elements arranged collinearly and carried by the balloon.
10. The device of claim 1 , comprising two adjacent cutting elements arranged overlapping relative to a longitudinal direction of the balloon.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element has a cutting edge with a radius of curvature less than about 50 nanometers.
12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element has a cutting edge with a radius of curvature less than about 20 nanometers.
13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cutting element has a cutting edge with a radius of curvature less than about 10 nanometers.
14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is smaller than a 10 French balloon.
15. The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is smaller than a 7 French balloon.
16. The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is smaller than a 5 French balloon.
17. The device of claim 1 , wherein the balloon is smaller than a 3 French balloon.
18. A method of using a medical device, the method comprising:
providing the device having an inflatable balloon, a cutting element carried by the balloon, and a deformable member disposed over a portion of the cutting element wherein the cutting element comprises a material having a hardness of greater than about 5,700 kg/mm 2 , Knoops hardness; and
expanding the balloon, the cutting element piercing through the deformable member.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the cutting element has a cutting edge, and further comprising radially reducing the balloon, the deformable member covering the cutting edge.
20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the cutting element pierces through the deformable member as the deformable member is contacted against a vessel wall.