Expanding sheath tip
AssigneeCook Medical Technologies LLC
InventorsDean R. Puckett, JR., Brent A. Mayle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A medical instrument is provided including, an expandable tip which is embedded within a sheath. The expandable tip comprises a plurality of fingers which extend distally from the embedded portion. The plurality of fingers are heat set in a first position so that the distal ends of the fingers define a distal opening, where the distal opening has a smaller diameter than the embedded portion of the expandable tip. The plurality of fingers is reversibly expandable to a second position, creating a larger distal opening to deploy an expandable accessory.
Claims20
A medical device, comprising:
- a sheath comprising a wall which defines a lumen;
- and
- an expandable tip coupled to the wall of the sheath at a proximal end of the expandable tip, wherein the expandable tip comprises a plurality of fingers extending distally from the proximal end, each of the plurality of fingers having a distal end, wherein the plurality of fingers are heat set in a first position so that the distal ends of the plurality of fingers define a distal opening with a first diameter which is less than a diameter of a proximal opening at the proximal end of the expandable tip, and wherein the plurality of fingers is reversibly expandable to a second position wherein the distal opening has a larger second diameter.
A medical device, comprising:
- a sheath comprising a lumen and an expandable tip having a plurality of fingers extending distally, each of the plurality of fingers having a distal end, wherein the plurality of fingers are heat set in a first position so that the distal ends of the plurality of fingers define a distal opening which has a distal diameter less than a proximal diameter of a proximal portion of the sheath, and wherein the plurality of fingers is reversibly expandable to a second position wherein the distal diameter is larger than in the first position;
- and
- a catheter positioned within the lumen of the sheath, wherein the catheter has an enlarged portion projecting from an outer surface of the catheter, and wherein the enlarged portion is arranged within the sheath to move an expandable accessory through the expandable tip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.