Patent ID: 7762995

Claim:
An apparatus for providing access to a body lumen of a patient, comprising: a flexible stiffening member having a proximal end, a distal end having a size and shape for insertion into a body lumen, and a substantially atraumatic distal tip; and an expandable sheath extending between the proximal and distal ends of the stiffening member, the sheath being expandable from a contracted condition to minimize a profile of the sheath to allow insertion along with the stiffening member into a body lumen, and an enlarged condition wherein the sheath at least partially defines a lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends of the stiffening member, wherein the sheath is attached to the stiffening member at one or more locations and wherein the sheath may be split into one or more pieces such that the sheath may be removed from around an instrument disposed within the lumen.