| abstract |
A medical device containing a fiber reinforced membrane. Fibers can be embedded in or attached to the membrane to reinforce the device. In one embodiment, the instrument may be a vascular filter attached to an expandable frame. In one instrument creation method, the instrument can be created by building it around the mold. Also, the mold can be coated with an intermediate material that is easily separated from the membrane material. The intermediate material is covered with the membrane material, and then the fibers are placed in contact with the membrane material covering the intermediate material. The fibers can then be covered with additional membrane material, the fibers embedded in the membrane, and then unmolded by melting, melting, deformation or related techniques. Similarly, the intermediate material can be removed from the membrane. |