Patent ID: 8043263

Claim:
An assembly for the delivery of a cardiac surgical device, the assembly comprising: a slittable delivery device having a hub, a shaft integrated into the hub and forming at least a segment of the circumferential surface of the hub, and a hemostasis valve contained substantially within the hub; wherein the shaft is formed of at least a first material; wherein the hub has a first wall segment and a second wall segment, wherein the first wall segment comprises at least the first material and the second wall segment comprises at least a second material that is harder that the first material; and wherein the first and second wall segments extend from a distal end of the hub to a proximal end of the hub; and a bypass assembly having a cap and a valve bypass tool, wherein the cap is on the proximal end of the hub and has an opening in the cap extending radially outward from a point near a radial center of the cap through a circumferential edge of the cap, wherein the valve bypass tool is operably coupled to the cap and includes a longitudinally extending open channel.