Patent ID: 7927309

Claim:
A sheath introducer for accommodating a plurality of elongated medical devices of different respective outer diameters, the sheath introducer, comprising a hub; a tube assembly secured to the hub, wherein said tube assembly permits radial expansion thereof, resists radial collapse thereof, and comprises: (a) an inner layer that is an extruded polymer tube that permits radial expansion but does not resist radial collapse; (b) an expander layer, the expander layer comprised of a stent-like mesh structure that permits radial expansion and resists radial collapse while same substantially maintains its longitudinal extent and does not foreshorten when same is expanded radially when subjected to an outwardly directed radial force; (c) an outer layer that is an extruded polymer tube that permits radial expansion but does not resist radial collapse; (d) said inner layer, said expander layer and said outer layer are separate layers assembled into said tube assembly, said expander layer being positioned between said inner layer and said outer layer; (e) said inner and outer layers are made of the same or different polymer, each having a Shore durometer hardness of from about 20 A to about 70 D; and said tube assembly radial expansion is from a first, unexpanded diameter to a second, expanded diameter and does not fold or form ripples therein due to foreshortening of the expander layer when said tube thus expands.