Tissue-cutting dilators and methods thereof

A tissue-cutting dilator, comprising:

• an elongate dilator body including a plurality of longitudinal guide slots along a distal portion of the dilator body;
• a dilator tip formed in the distal portion of the dilator body or coupled to a distal end of the dilator body, the dilator tip including a plurality of blade slots;
• a plurality of retractable blades disposed in the dilator body, the plurality of retractable blades configured to extend through the plurlaity of blade slots in at least a ready-to-dilate state of the tissue-cutting dilator to cut tissue around an insertion site upon insertion into the insertion site;
• and
• a cap slidably disposed over the dilator body, the cap covering the dilator tip in at least the ready-to-dilate state of the tissue-cutting dilator, the cap comprising a plurality of cap protrusions, wherein the plurality of longitudinal guide slots are configured to accept the plurality of cap protrusions when proximally sliding the cap over the dilator body.