Catheters with lubricious linings and methods for making and using them

1. A method for making a catheter sized for introduction into a body lumen, comprising:

providing a thin sheet comprising first and second side edges;

coating a first surface of the thin sheet with a hydrophilic coating;

thereafter, rolling the thin sheet such that the first and second side edges are disposed adjacent one another and the hydrophilic coating is disposed inwardly;

creating a longitudinal seam along the first and second side edges of the rolled thin sheet to create a sleeve the sleeve extending substantially the entire length of the tubular structure; and

attaching a tubular structure around the sleeve.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the thin sheet comprises attaching first and second layers of material together.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tubular structure comprises a thickness that is substantially greater than a thickness of the sleeve.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tubular structure comprises a reinforcement layer and an outer continuous layer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sleeve and tubular structure are attached together by at least one of laminating, bonding, and heat sealing.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thin sheet comprises polyurethane and the tubular structure comprises at least one of polyether block amide and Urethane.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the sheet comprises Ester-based polyurethane.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprises removing excess material along the longitudinal seam, thereby removing a portion of the first and second side edges.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of attaching the tubular structure around the sleeve comprises:

positioning the sleeve around a mandrel to create a first assembly; and

positioning the tubular structure over the first assembly to create a second assembly.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of attaching the tubular structure around the sleeve further comprises:

positioning heat shrink tubing over the second assembly;

heating the heat shrink tubing; and

removing the shrink tubing from around the second assembly.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising removing the mandrel afler attaching the tubular structure to the sleeve.

12. A method for making a tubular device sized for introduction into a body lumen, comprising:

coating a first surface of a thin sheet with a coating imparting one or more desired properties to the first surface;

wrapping the thin sheet at least partially around a mandrel with the first surface disposed inwardly;

positioning a slotted tube around the thin sheet and mandrel;

attaching the slotted tube to the thin sheet to form a tubular structure; and

removing the tubular structure from the mandrel,

wherein the slotted tube comprises longitudinal edges defining a slot, and wherein the slotted tube is positioned around the thin sheet and mandrel by separating the longitudinal edges.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising trimming excess edges of the thin sheet from the tubular structure.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the slotted tube is attached to the thin sheet by at least one of lamination, bonding, and heat-sealing.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the longitudinal edges are bonded together when the slotted tube is attached to the thin sheet.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the slotted tube comprises a thickness that is substantially greater than a thickness of the thin sheet.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the slotted tube comprises a reinforcement layer and an outer layer.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the thin sheet comprises polyurethane and the slotted tube comprises at least one of polyether block amide and Urethane.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the coating comprises a hydrophilic material.

20. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more desired properties comprise a predetermined lubricity.

21. The method of claim 12 , wherein the slotted tube is attached to the thin sheet by directing the slotted tube, thin sheet, and mandrel through a heated die.

22. The method of claim 12 , wherein the tubular structure is formed by a continuous process.

23. A method for making a catheter sized for introduction into a body lumen and having proximal and distal ends, comprising:

providing a sheet of material comprising a first surface and a second surface;

coating the first surface of the sheet with a hydrophilic coating to impart the first surface with a predetermined lubricity; and

thereafter, rolling the sheet until longitudinal edges of the sheet are disposed adjacent one another; and

attaching the longitudinal edges of the rolled sheet to one another to form a continuous wall defining a lumen the rolled sheet extending between the proximal and distal ends of the catheter.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the longitudinal edges are attached to one another by using at least one of heat bonding, an adhesive, and lamination.

25. A method for making a catheter sized for introduction into a body lumen, comprising:

providing a thin sheet comprising a first surface and a second surface;

coating the first surface with a coating to impart the first surface with one or more desired properties;

after coating the first surface, rolling the sheet such that the first and second side edges are disposed adjacent one another and extend longitudinally, and the coated first surface is disposed inwardly and the second surface of the sheet is disposed outwardly; and

after rolling the sheet the sheet extending between the proximal and distal ends of the tubular structure, attaching a tubular structure having proximal and distal ends around the rolled sheet, thereby providing a tubular device comprising an inner surface with the one or more desired properties.

26. A method for making a catheter sized for introduction into a body lumen, comprising:

providing a sheet of thermoplastic material having first and second surfaces and comprising first and second side edges;

coating the first surface of the sheet with a hydrophilic coating;

thereafter rolling the sheet such that the first and second side edges are disposed adjacent one another and the coated first surface is disposed inwardly and the second surface of the sheet is disposed outwardly;

positioning a tubular structure having proximal and distal ends around the rolled sheet, the tubular structure having a thickness that is substantially greater than a thickness of the rolled sheet extending between the proximal and distal ends of the tubular structure the sheet; and

heating at least one of the tubular structure and the rolled sheet to bond the second surface of the sheet to the tubular structure.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the rolled sheet is heated to cause the thermoplastic material of the sheet to reflow and bond to the tubular structure.

28. The method of claim 26 , further comprising creating a longitudinal seam along the first and second side edge to create a sleeve before positioning the tubular structure around the rolled sheet.

29. The method of claim 26 , wherein positioning the tubular structure around the rolled sheet comprises placing a reinforcement layer against the second surface of the sheet placing a substantially uniform outer layer against the reinforcement layer.

30. The method of claim 26 , wherein the sheet comprises at least one of polyurethane and polyether block amide, and the tubular structure comprises at least one of polyether block amide and urethane.

31. The method of claim 26 , wherein the sheet is rolled around a mandrel to create a first assembly, and the tubular structure is positioned over the first assembly to create a second assembly.

32. The method of claim 31 , wherein heating at least one of the tubular structure and the rolled sheet comprises:

positioning heat shrink tubing over the second assembly; and

heating the heat shrink tubing to cause the sheet to reflow and bond to the tubular structure.

33. The method of claim 31 , further comprising removing the mandrel and the heat shrink tubing afler bonding the sheet to the tubular structure.

34. The method of claim 26 , wherein the sheet has a thickness between about 0.0001-0.003 inch (0.0025-0.076 mm).