A METHOD OF MAKING AN IMPROVED BALLOON CUFF TRACHEOSTOMY TUBE

摘要

There is provided a methodof making a balloon having a differentialthickness. The method uses a raw tubecomposed of a thermoplastic polymer whichis placed in an asymmetrical mold. The tubeis preheated in the mold to a temperaturesufficient to soften the material of the tubeand inflated with a gas to generally uniformlystretch the material of the tube while allowingthe tube to retract lengthwise, thus forminga balloon. The resulting completed balloonhas a differential wall thickness wherein theupper region has a thickness of from about 15to about 30 micrometers and the lower regionhas a thickness of from about 5 to about 15micrometers.