Balloon cuff and catheter assembly

Claim 1

In a catheter assembly including a catheter tube having a central lumen and an inflation lumen, an improved cuff comprising, in combination: an integral elastic member having a substantially cylindrical shape, an inner wall surface, a first end and a second end, said integral elastic member receiving said catheter tube and communicating with said inflation lumen; and an adhesive for securing said integral elastic member to said catheter tube; said integral elastic member defining a first groove and a second groove on said inner wall surface substantially adjacent said first end and said second end, respectively, said first groove having a first width and a first depth, said second groove having a second width and a second depth; said first groove and said second groove cooperating to define recess means for receiving said adhesive and providing adhesive layers wherein the strain exerted by inflation of said integral elastic member through said inflation lumen is substantially distributed throughout said adhesive layers to substantially avoid separation of said integral elastic member from said catheter tube, said recess means substantially avoiding the spreading of said adhesive during curing and providing a substantially smooth contour along said catheter tube and said integral elastic member.