Classification of Balloons

The performance of the balloon is largely determined by its material, so the classification of the balloon is also the classification of the balloon material. At present, there is no universal criterion for the classification of balloons. There are two types of balloon classification methods recognized by most people in the industry: 1) Balloons are classified into high pressure balloons and low pressure balloons according to their pressure resistance and shape retention capabilities; 2) According to The compliance of balloons is divided into non-compliant balloons, semi-compliant balloons and compliant balloons.

High-pressure balloons are mostly stretch blow molded from non-compliant or low-compliant materials such as PET and nylon. Its main feature is that it can maintain its design shape and size within the rated pressure range, and the balloon has high tensile strength. The elongation rate is low; its main function is to expand or expand the blood vessel under the action of high-pressure fluid. According to different needs, the rated pressure range of the high-pressure balloon is 2-20atm.

Low-pressure balloons are mostly made of compliant materials such as PVC, nylon elastomer, latex, silicone rubber, etc., which are blow-molded or immersed. Such balloons are easily deformed under internal pressure. The size under pressure may be several times the design size. It can almost return to its original shape and size after the pressure is relieved. It is mainly used for positioning or sealing. Some compliant balloons with high pressure resistance are also used for lumen expansion.

Medical balloons are subject to internal pressure during the expansion process. According to the properties of polymer materials, the size of the balloons will change more or less at this time. Therefore, the concept of balloon compliance is proposed to characterize the balloon. The degree of change of the diameter of the balloon with the inflation pressure of the balloon is represented by (1).

Compliance=ФDRBP/ФDNormal (1)
Compliance-the compliance of the balloon
ФDRBP――The diameter of the balloon under the nominal pressure, mm
ФDNormal-the diameter of the balloon under nominal pressure, mm

When the compliance of the balloon is 1.05-1.10, it is called a non-compliant balloon, and when the compliance is 1.18-1.30, it is called a semi-compliant balloon. It can be seen that non-compliant balloons and semi-compliant balloons All are high-pressure balloons. For a low-pressure balloon, because its shape changes under the action of internal pressure, the volume usually varies in the range of 100-600%, so the low-pressure balloon is also called a compliant balloon.

Cheersonic has extensive experience in surface coating of implantable medical devices (such as drug stents and balloons), and can provide customers with complete solutions.