Patent ID: 8308692

Claim:
An introducer for use in inserting a medical device into a body vessel of a patient containing body fluid, the introducer comprising: a housing having a proximal opening, a distal opening and a chamber extending therebetween; a sheath defining a conduit and extending distally from the distal opening of the housing for insertion into the body vessel; and a seal in diaphragm form disposed in the chamber and formed of shape memory polymers having a first phase transition temperature higher than about body temperature and a second phase transition temperature less than the first phase transition temperature but greater than about room temperature, the seal in a first configuration having an opening formed therethrough when at about room temperature for advancing the medical device through the seal into the conduit of the sheath and the seal self-configuring to a second configuration when at a temperature of at least the second phase transition temperature for obstructing the body fluid from flowing through the opening of the seal.