Patent 12121672 was granted and assigned to Edwards Lifesciences on October, 2024 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Disclosed herein are reinforced expandable introducer sheaths and methods of using the same. The sheaths minimize trauma to the patient's vasculature by including a reinforcing member to improve the push force of the sheath while reducing the chances of kinking during delivery of a prosthetic device. The sheath can include a plurality of expandable rings aligned along the longitudinal axis of the sheath and coupled together to form an elongated tubular structure. The sheath can also include a plurality of radial members circumferentially arranged to form a tubular support structure. The radial members slidingly interconnected around the circumference of the tubular structure to facilitate radial expansion of the sheath.