Balloon Cover Overlapping Apertures Burst Pressure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Balloon angioplasty balloons face a trade-off between achieving high rated burst pressure and maintaining a low delivery profile, with existing designs compromising on either strength or profile due to material limitations.

Innovation Solution

The use of a balloon cover with overlapping first and second portions, each comprising a working length integrally connected to a tapered end with an aperture at the apex, provides additional strength to the balloon while minimizing the profile, thereby increasing the rated burst pressure without significantly increasing the withdrawal profile.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If the balloon wall thickness is reduced to minimize the delivery profile, then the profile is reduced, but the rated burst pressure decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedelivery profileVSAvoidrated burst pressure
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The balloon cover is constructed as a multi-layered composite structure comprising an inner layer and an outer layer, where the inner layer provides baseline strength and the outer layer provides additional reinforcement. This composite construction enables the balloon to achieve high rated burst pressure (at least 15 bar) while maintaining thin wall thickness and low delivery profile, as the layered structure distributes stress more effectively than a single-layer design of equivalent thickness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Device complexity

If a single-layer balloon cover is used, then the structure is simple, but the burst pressure is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecover structureVSAvoidburst pressure
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The balloon cover employs a multi-layered composite construction with an inner layer and an outer layer, where each layer contributes to the overall strength and burst pressure performance. The inner layer provides a foundation for stress distribution while the outer layer adds reinforcement, enabling the cover to withstand high inflation pressures (at least 15 bar rated burst pressure) without requiring excessive thickness or complexity in individual layers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentEP2723436B1High strength balloon cover
Publication Date: 2020.11.11 WL GORE & ASSOC INC
  • EP2723436B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP2723436B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3A
  • EP2723436B1 patent drawingFigure 3B~3E

AI summary

A balloon cover (312) is provided to enhance the performance of a medical balloon, the cover, in accordance with an embodiment, having overlapping portions and opposed apertures (316,322) located at apexes of tapered ends (314,318) of the balloon cover. A method of making balloon covers is also disclosed.