| 摘要 |
A catheter introducer (10, 110), insertable through an incision in a patient's skin and into a vein or artery, includes a tip (16, 116) at its downstream distal end that has a minimum diameter that is smaller than the diameter of a medical device such as a catheter guidewire, a catheter, or a declotting device to be guided into the patient's body using the introducer (10, 110). The tip (16, 116) is expandable upon passage of the device therethrough so as to permit a relatively large device to be inserted into a patient's body with a single stick from a relatively small needle. Two preferred embodiments of the tip include a thermal expandable tip (16), which is made of a material that becomes pliable at body temperature; and a tip (116) including at least one scour line (136) that ruptures to permit passage of the larger device. |
