Patent ID: 7713281

Claim:
An apparatus for providing access to a body lumen, comprising: a tubular member including a proximal end, a distal end sized for insertion into the body lumen, and a sidewall defining a lumen of the tubular member, the lumen extending from the proximal end to the distal end, and the tubular member having a length defined from the proximal end to the distal end; an elongate stiffening member including a distal end, the elongate stiffening member being fixedly attached to the sidewall of the tubular member, at the distal end of the tubular member, and extending distally from the distal end of the tubular member to the distal end of the elongate stiffening member tip, over a length that is shorter than the length of the tubular member; and an expandable sheath including a distal terminal end, the sheath extending distally from the distal end of the tubular member, along a portion of the elongate stiffening member to the distal terminal end of the sheath, the expandable sheath defining a lumen that communicates with the tubular member lumen and includes a distal opening, the distal opening of the sheath lumen being defined by a portion of a perimeter of the distal terminal end of the sheath that becomes spaced apart from the elongate member, when the expandable sheath is expanded, and the distal opening of the expandable sheath lumen allowing passage therethrough, alongside the elongate stiffening member, of a medical instrument into the body lumen, the medical instrument having been passed through the tubular member lumen and the sheath lumen; wherein the distal end of the elongate stiffening member extends distally beyond the distal opening of the expandable sheath lumen, and the apparatus further comprises an expandable occlusion member attached to the distal end of the elongate stiffening member.