Patent ID: 7968038

Claim:
A method of manufacturing an introducer sheath, comprising the steps of: positioning a lubricious inner tube over a mandril, said inner tube having a substantially uniform inner diameter of from about 16 to 30 French, said inner tube having a wall thickness between about 0.001 and 0.01 inch (0.025 and 0.25 mm); positioning a coil over said inner tube, said coil having a plurality of turns extending longitudinally around a length of said inner tube, and a plurality of spacings between said turns, said spacings having a generally uniform width along said inner tube length; positioning a polymeric outer tube over said inner tube and coil, said outer tube having a durometer of about 30 to 60 on the Shore D hardness scale, and having a wall thickness between about 0.004 and 0.014 inch (0.10 and 0.36 mm); positioning a heat shrink tube over a sheath assembly comprising the inner tube, coil, and outer tube; heating said heat shrink tube and sheath assembly so that a portion of said outer tube melts and flows between said coil turns to bond with an outer surface of the inner tube; and removing said mandril and said heat shrink tube.