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EP0450221A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Expandable soft tip sheath
Assignee: CR Bard Inc
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Filing: 1990-08-01
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2010-08-01
Abstract
Abstract A catheter introducer and dilator for percutaneous placement of the introducer are provided with a configuration in which the distal end of the introducer sheath merges with the outer surface of the dilator in a manner that avoids formation of a distally facing shoulder. The arrangement provides for smooth atraumatic entry of the dilator and sheath, percutaneously, into a blood vessel. The tip configuration of the catheter introducer is such as to enable a range of catheter sizes to be used with the introducer sheath. The tip is soft to reduce risk of trauma to the inner lining of the blood vessel.
Inventors
- 👤 George W. Bourne, Iv
- 👤 John E. Hart
- 👤 Kevin F. Browne
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 19:28
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61M; A61M25/00; A61M25/0043; A61M25/0054; A61M25/01; A61M25/06; A61M25/0662; A61M2025/0687
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
128 words
A catheter introducer assembly comprising: an elongate tubular dilator having a body, a guidewire lumen extending through the body and a tapered head at the distal end of the body, the body being formed to define a circumferential groove proximally of the tapered head; and an elongate, flexible catheter introducer sheath mounted on the body of the dilator, the sheath having a soft resilient tip, a distal segment of which is tapered to a smaller diameter than the proximal portion of the sheath body, the soft tip being tapered and dimensioned such that when the sheath is mounted on the dilator the distal portion of the soft tip will be received in the circumferential groove, thereby to minimize trauma to tissue upon insertion of the assembly through tissue.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
34 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the outer surface of the soft tip and the outer surface of the tapered head of the dilator define a smooth, unshouldered transition surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the distal segment of the soft tip is weakened.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein the distal segment of the soft tip is weakened by a plurality of longitudinal slits formed in the distal segment of the soft tip.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in claim 4 wherein the longitudinal slits terminate short of the distal end of the distal segment thereby to define an uninterrupted circumferential band about the distal tip of the soft tip.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
90 words
A catheter introducer comprising: an elongate flexible tube having a proximal end and a distal end; a soft tubular tip attached to the distal end of the tube and having a distal segment that extends distally of the distal end of the tube, the tip being formed from a material that is softer and more flexible than the material from which the tube is formed; the distal segment of the tip being tapered to define a distal opening that is smaller in diameter than the inner diameter of the tube.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
24 words
A catheter introducer as defined in claim 6 wherein the distal segment is disrupted in a manner so as to weaken the distal segment.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
58 words
A catheter introducer as defined in claim 6 wherein the distal segment of the soft tip is weakened by a plurality of longitudinal slits formed in the distal segment, the longitudinal slits terminating distally short of the distal end of the distal segment, thereby to define an uninterrupted circumferential band about the distal tip of the distal segment.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in any of claims 1-5 wherein the sheath is coextruded and includes an inner relatively thick layer and an outer relatively thin layer, the outer layer being formed from a softer material than the inner layer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
41 words
A catheter introducer as defined in any of claims 6-8 wherein the sheath is coextruded and includes an inner relatively thick layer and an outer relatively thin layer, the outer layer being formed from a softer material than the inner layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in any of claims 1-5 wherein the inner surface of the sheath is coated with a hydrophilic material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
25 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in any of claims 6-8 wherein the inner surface of the catheter introducer is formed from a hydrophilic material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in any of claims 1-5 wherein the introducer sheath is coextruded to include an inner layer and an outer layer, the outer layer being thinner and formed from a softer material than the inner layer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
40 words
A catheter introducer as defined in any of claims 6-8 wherein the introducer sheath is coextruded to include an inner layer and an outer layer, the outer layer being thinner and formed from a softer material than the inner layer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
A catheter introducer assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the orifice at the tip of the sheath is approximately 2 to 2.5 French sizes smaller than the inner diameter of the sheath.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
32 words
A catheter introducer as defined in claim 6 wherein the orifice at the tip of the sheath is approximately 2 to 2.5 French sizes smaller than the inner diameter of the sheath.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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