balloon catheter

noun

: a catheter with an inflatable tip which can be expanded (as by air or water) especially to hold the catheter in place or to expand a partly closed or obstructed bodily passage, opening, or vessel (such as a coronary artery)

called also balloon-tipped catheter

see balloon angioplasty

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of balloon catheter was in 1883

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Balloon catheter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balloon%20catheter. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

balloon catheter

noun

variants also balloon-tipped catheter

: a catheter with an inflatable tip which can be expanded (as by air or water) especially to hold the catheter in place or to expand a partly closed or obstructed bodily passage, opening, or vessel (as a coronary artery) see balloon angioplasty, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty

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