Patent ID: 9241735
Filing Date: 2016-01-26
CPC Classification: A61B,A61M

Claim Text:
1. A method of providing percutaneous access, said method comprising: making an incision through skin; inserting a guidewire through the incision in the skin and into or through the renal collection system, percutaneously inserting a circumferentially continuous elongate tubular structure through the incision in the skin and over the guidewire and into the renal collection system, the elongate tubular structure comprising a distal region, a proximal region, and a tapered region between the distal region and the proximal region, the distal region having a first, folded, smaller cross-sectional profile and the proximal region having a second, greater cross-sectional profile; inflating a balloon that is positioned within an interior lumen of said folded distal region of said elongate tubular structure to expand and unfold said distal region of said elongate tubular structure radially around its longitudinal axis from said first, smaller cross-sectional profile to said second, greater cross-sectional profile; releasing the elongate tubular structure from a constraining tubular jacket, the constraining tubular jacket sharing the same longitudinal axis as the elongate tubular structure, wherein releasing the elongate tubular structure from the constraining tubular jacket comprises tearing said constraining tubular jacket along a perforation; and removing said balloon from said distal region of said elongate tubular structure to open the interior lumen in said elongate tubular structure, the interior lumen open to an external environment outside the skin on its proximal end and open to the renal collection system on its distal end.