A thermal aircraft, such as a hot air load-carrying balloon which includes a balloon envelope having a deflation aperture therein and a venting valve or operculum designed to removably cover and seal the aperture and to be opened and/or closed rapidly so as to assist in the control of the balloon, forming both a deflation panel and a maneuvering port for the balloon. The venting valve is removably and releasably secured to the balloon envelope adjacent the periphery of the aperture, and means ar...

An adapter having a first bore which facilitates the insertion and accurate positioning of an intra-aortic balloon, and is designed to fit within a synthetic graft which is sutured, for example, to the femoral artery. An annular groove is provided in the adapter, permitting the graft to be tightly tied thereto in the region of the groove. The silicone rubber blood-tight seal integrally formed with the adapter body, together with the adapter body, allow the catheter to slide freely therein, enabl...

Dilatation balloons and catheters including same are provided. The balloons are fabricated of a material such as a nylon or a polyamide material, and they have an inflated, non-distended working profile as well as a stretched inflated profile which is achieved by applying pressure through a dilatation catheter or the like that is in excess of that needed to achieve the inflated, non-distended profile and which is adequate to effect dilatation or the like up to a maximum pre-bursting pressure app...

Dilation balloons and catheters including same are provided. The balloons are fabricated of a material such as a nylon or a polyamide material, and they have an inflated, non-distended working profile as well as a stretched inflated profile which is achieved by applying pressure through a dilatation catheter or the like that is in excess of that needed to achieve the inflated, non-distended profile and which is adequate to effect dilatation or the like up to a maximum pre-bursting pressure appli...

Medical device balloons are formed from a tubular parison by a process or apparatus which establishes a controlled location (initiation zone) on the parison where radial expansion is initiated. Initiation within the initiation zone is achieved by heating the parison in that location to a higher temperature than the remainder of the parison for at least a portion of the blowing time. A variety of apparatus configurations are provided, some of which allow for the size and location of the initiatio...

A dilatation balloon is fabricated according to a process that yields high hoop strength and uniformity in balloon wall thickness. A length of tubing is axially elongated and radially expanded in a form to provide the requisite biaxial orientation and strength. Then, an excimer laser is used to remove the polymeric material by photo-chemical ablation, virtually without thermal effects. Dilatation balloon walls are thinned primarily along tapered sections between proximal and distal balloon stems...

A device for displaying inflated balloons, particularly pillow-shaped MYLAR-type balloons has a closed perimeter formed from at least one downwardly-open channel member. The downwardly-open channel member has a width slightly larger than the thickness of the balloons displayed therein, so the balloons are restrained in a position to allow display of one of the generally planar surfaces of the balloon through the outwardly facing surface of the channel member. A top retaining member, comprised of...

A method for forming a balloon for a dilatation catheter may utilize the steps of extruding a tubing preform of a polyester resin and then blowing the tubing into an oriented balloon, wherein the tubing preform is dried prior to blowing into the balloon form. Other process steps by which balloon cone and waist thicknesses may be reduced involve varying the axial tension and blowing pressure at several stages as a mold containing the balloon preform is dipped into a heating medium. Specifically, ...

An improved cap valving means for hot air load-carrying balloons which is designed to be opened and/or closed rapidly so as to assist in control of the balloon. The valve and/or vent includes a disc which may be opened by applying a force to a pull cord, and wherein the applied force is provided with an improved mechanical advantage so as to unseat the disc and thereby open the interior of the balloon envelope to the ambient. In addition to the pull cord, the control cord includes a number of di...

Balloons for medical devices, particularly balloon agioplasty catheters, which have hybrid compliance curves in which growth rate slows at higher pressures are made from block copolymer thermoplastic elastomers.