Reduced profile delivery sheath for use in interventional procedures

摘要

A delivery sheath is provided for deploying a self-expanding intravascular filter. The sheath includes a stiff proximal portion which provides for good pushability and trackability through tortuous vessels and a soft, flexible, low profile, radiopaque distal tip for holding and delivering a deployable filter. The soft distal tip minimizes the formation of embolic particles that may be produced by contact between the sheath and an arterial lesion. The distal tip may be molded from a polymer containing radiopaque particles held in suspension and thereby provides for good visualization under fluroscopy.