Importance

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Abstract

Apparatus and methods are provided for substantially continuously forming thin-walled sleeves that may be incorporated into tubular devices sized for introduction into a patient. In one embodiment, a pair of sheets including coated surfaces oriented towards one another are directed through a cutting apparatus to cut the sheets into multiple pairs of strips. The pairs of strips are bonded together to create a plurality of sleeves having lumens defined by the coated surfaces. In another embodiment, a sheet having a coated surface is fed through a cutting tool to separate the sheet into a plurality of strips, and the strips are formed into sleeves, e.g., by feeding the strips through a die or mandrel using a substantially continuous process. Optionally, the sleeves may be subsequently cut into individual tubular devices and/or further processed, e.g., by providing one or more layers around the sleeves to create catheters, sheaths, or other apparatus.

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First Claim