Patent ID: 8475522

Claim:
A medical introducer and heart valve delivery catheter combination, comprising; a delivery catheter having a distal balloon of sufficient diameter to expand a heart valve crimped thereon, wherein the delivery catheter has a proximal control handle including two molded halves with a plurality of concentric tubes extending from within the control handle and at least one actuator on the exterior of the control handle for moving one of the tubes axially, the control handle further enclosing a passive seal for sealing around the tube that is moved by the actuator such that the passive seal does not prevent axial movement thereof; and an introducer that receives the delivery catheter therethrough and has an elongated tubular sheath extending distally from a proximal housing containing at least one introducer valve for fluidly sealing around devices passed therethrough, the sheath including a proximal segment extending a length of at least one half a total length L of the sheath and having a first stiffness, and a distal section having a length l of one half or less of the total length L of the sheath that has a second stiffness different than the first stiffness.