Patent ID: 8439970

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, the delivery catheter comprising a catheter tube and the balloon is disposed on the end of a deflectable portion of the catheter tube actuated by a deflection pull wire, the delivery catheter also including a tubular valve pusher that slides over the catheter tube and moves longitudinally with respect to the balloon, and the delivery catheter further including a proximal control handle on which are mounted both a deflection actuator for deflecting the deflectable portion of the catheter tube and a pusher actuator for longitudinally displacing the valve pusher with respect to the balloon, both actuators being integrated into the control handle to facilitate one-handed operation of the two; and an introducer having an elongated tubular sheath extending distally from a proximal housing containing at least one introducer valve for fluidly sealing around devices passed therethrough.