POLYETHER BLOCK AMIDE CATHETER BALLOONS

摘要

An inflatable member such as a ballon which is formed at least in part of a polyamide/polyether block copolymer thermoplastic elastomer, commonly referred to as polyether block amide (PEBA). The presently preferred PEBA copolymer is polyamide/polyether polyester copolymer, such as PEBAX3. The balloon of the invention exhibits high tensile strength, high elongation, and low flexural moduli. The balloon may be formed as a single layer of PEBA, or as a multilayer coextrudate having at least one PEBA layer. The balloon may be 100 % PEBA or a blend of PEBA with another polymer, such as nylon.