Complex Catheter Shafts Designed, Assembled and Delivered
Braid-reinforced catheter shaft design starts with Lubrizol Life Science Health’s (LLS Health) team of experienced extrusion and catheter engineers who will closely collaborate with your team to develop a braided shaft that meets your application-specific requirements.
Correctly Designed Catheters for Specialty Applications
LLS Health has the technology and expertise to help develop catheter shafts for a broad range of specialty applications. Our focus areas include:
- Interventional vascular
- Neurovascular
- Electrophysiology
- Robotic Endosurgery
- Structural heart
- Angioplasty
- Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT)
- Other minimally invasive specialty applications
Designed for Optimal Performance and Functionality
Braiding improves the functionality of a catheter shaft by improving kink and pressure resistance and increasing the mechanical properties of a tube, all while maximizing the working area of a tube. Braided reflow shafts can be designed to provide a combination of different performance characteristics. Properties that can be tailored and varied over the length of the catheter shaft include:
- Flexibility
- Kink resistance
- Pushability
- Torque transmission
- Burst strength
- Column strength
Full-Service Capabilities to Meet Your Exact Specifications
LLS Health uses dedicated extrusion, braiding and reflow equipment to manufacture its braided shafts. Shafts can be produced with single or multiple durometers along the shaft, or the braid pattern can be varied to change the stiffness of the shaft along the length. Customers typically employ braided construction where the application requires high pressure resistance or requires navigation through small and tortuous anatomies, such as small blood vessels in the heart or brain. LLS Health’s braiding capabilities include:
- OD ranges from 0.030” – 0.320”
- Round wire, flat wire and fibers
- Constant or variable pick pattern
- Single or variable durometer
- PTFE or other liners
- Braid to coil transition
- Cut to length or spooled
