Abstract:
An expansible balloon catheter has at least a first exterior surface with a given coefficient of friction and a second exterior surface with a greater coefficient of friction. In a compact form only the first exterior surface is exposed to produce one coefficient of friction during transfer of the collapsed or uninflated balloon to and across a lesion. When inflated, the second surface dominates the first surface and produces a second coefficient of friction.
Abstract:
An inflatable medical device and method for the placement of a stent in a body passageway by means of a two stage expansion of the stent and for the delivery of medications to precise location in the passageway. The device includes a catheter shaft (14) having a plurality of lumens (13, 22, 28) disposed therein. The catheter shaft has a distal end adapted to be disposed within a vascular passageway. An inflatable balloon is defined by a generally cylindrical wall and is adapted to receive inflation fluids. The balloon is disposed on the distal end of the shaft. An array of circumferentially arranged inflation conduits (40) is disposed in the wall. The conduits (40) are spaced from each other within the wall of the balloon whereby to form a annular array. An array of medication delivering conduits (25) can be disposed within the wall of the balloon. These conduits are adapted to deliver medications to predetermined locations within the body passageway being treated. A stent (30) is removably disposed around the exterior of the wall of the balloon and is expandable radially outwardly from a narrow insertion diameter to a larger second diameter by the expansion of the balloon (16) and then to a still larger third diameter by inflation of the inflation conduits (40) whereby to expand the body passageway and seat the stent.
Abstract:
Treating a patient by collecting a bodily sample from deep within the body of a patient and collecting the sample outside the body to facilitate treatment of the patient. A sampling probe is provided in the form of an elongate catheter having a proximal portion that remains outside the body and a distal portion that can be located within the body. The distal portion includes a polymer on its outer surface capable of receiving a substantial amount of bodily sample. The catheter is positioned within the body and the sample is taken by exposing the polymer by placing it in proximity within a desired location so that said bodily sample is received by the polymer. The catheter is removed from the patient and the sample is collected outside the body.
Abstract:
A medical balloon and catheter in which the balloon (14) is wrapped and folded upon itself tortuously and tightly so outer surfaces (12) contact each other for insertion into the body and in which the balloon is free of bridging and adhesion between abutting surfaces. The balloon has a base of a continuous polymeric surface (10) expandable from a folded, wrapped configuration with surfaces touching each other into a balloon when inflated. A lubricious, biocompatible, hydrogel coating (11) is disposed on the polymeric surface and a thin, lubricious, blood-compatible coating (12) is disposed upon the hydrogel coating and adheres to it to prevent abutting surfaces of the folded polymeric surfaces from adhering to each other during inflation and to prevent delamination of the hydrogel coating and/or rupture of the balloon. Preferably the blood-compatible coating (12) is polyethylene glycol, methoxy polyethylene glycol or mixtures thereof having a molecular weight between about 100 and 20,000 grams per gram mole.
Abstract:
In a sports racquet having a frame with a handle and a head defining an open region, a netting of a plurality of tensioned strings in an interwoven grid across the open region is formed of a metal alloy material having high elasticity, i.e., exhibiting linear elastic behavior or exhibiting stress-induced martensite-martensite transformation (super elastic or pseudo elastic) behavior. In one embodiment, the alloy described above, and a sleeve or lower durometer material, e.g., plastic.
Abstract:
Optical devices including a molecularly oriented highly birefringent polymer are disclosed. The devices include molecularly oriented polymers comprising recurring units which exhibit a distribution of high electron density about the long axes of the polymer and the recurring units thereof. Transparent birefringent polymers comprising a plurality of recurring units having a substantially cylindrical distribution of electron density about the long axis of such units and the chain-extended polymers are included in optical devices and articles. The polymers exhibit high birefringence and simulate in a polymer the optical properties of uniaxial crystal.
Abstract:
A class of polyamides comprising recurring units having certain substituted-biphenylene or substituted-stilbene radicals is disclosed. The substituted radicals include substituents so as to confer a non-coplanar molecular configuration and a substantially cylindrical distribution of electron density about the long axis of the recurring units and the chain-extended polymers including such radicals.Molecularly oriented polymers of the invention exhibit optically uniaxial properties. The highly berefringent polymers are suited to applicaiton in optical filter and other devices where a refractive and birefringent material is desired.
Abstract:
Optical devices including a molecularly oriented highly birefringent polymer are disclosed. The devices include molecularly oriented polymers comprising recurring units which exhibit a distribution of high electron density about the long axes of the polymer and the recurring units thereof. Transparent birefringent polymers comprising a plurality of recurring units having a substantially cylindrical distribution of electron density about the long axis of such units and the chain-extended polymers are included in optical devices and articles. The polymers exhibit high birefringence and simulate in a polymer the optical properties of a uniaxial crystal.
Abstract:
A class of polyamides comprising recurring units having certain substituted-biphenylene or substituted-stilbene radicals is disclosed. The substituted radicals include substituents so as to confer a non-coplanar molecular configuration and a substantially cylindrical distribution of electron density about the long axis of the recurring units and the chain-extended polymers including such radicals.Molecularly oriented polymers of the invention exhibit optically uniaxial properties. The highly birefringent polymers are suited to application in optical filter and other devices where a refractive and birefringent material is desired.