Embodiments herein include an insertion tool for inserting a medical device into another medical device, such as a hemostasis sealing valve, and related methods. In an embodiment, an insertion tool includes a guide sheath and a protection tube. The guide sheath can include a flared proximal end. The guide sheath can further include a central lumen. The guide sheath can further include a locking notch disposed on the inner surface between the proximal end and the distal end. The protection tube can include a flared proximal end. A portion of the protection tube can be situated within the central lumen of the guide sheath. The flared proximal end of the protection tube can be sized to fit within the locking notch and can have an outer diameter larger than portions of the inner surface immediately adjacent to the locking notch. Other embodiments are also included herein.

A medical device such as a catheter may have an elongate shaft that includes a hypotube having a cut formed therein. The elongate shaft may define a lumen that extends within the elongate shaft. A polymer may be disposed over at least a portion of the hypotube. A medical device may include a cut hypotube having a constant pitch and may be configured to reversibly and temporarily alter the pitch of at least a portion of the cut hypotube. In some cases, the medical device may be configured to reversibly and/or temporarily alter a compressive strength of at least a portion of the cut hypotube.

Cut-pattern designs creating a frame structure from a solid tube, which may be used as a portion of medical device, such as a catheter. The tube includes a plurality of units of cutout segments which are distributed in band around a circumference of the tube. A tube can have multiple different zones, each having units with varying cutout segments. The cutout segments can have varying cutout surface area allowing the flexibility of the tube to be modified at any point along the tube by altering the cutout surface area with zones having greater cutout surface areas as compared to another zone are more flexible. The tube can be incorporated into a catheter.

A catheter assembly includes a catheter, a fluid containing sleeve, and a container. The catheter may include a tubular portion between a proximal end and a distal end, a coating on a length of the tubular portion, and at least one drainage opening on the distal end. The fluid containing sleeve is designed for arrangement on the tubular portion to maintain the coating in a hydrated state. The container may have at least one foil inner layer containing therein the catheter and the fluid containing sleeve. Substantially or nearly all fluid contained in the container may be disposed in the fluid containing sleeve.

The disclosure generally relates to adjustable sheath devices for insertion into the body to provide intravascular access to various medical devices, involving a dynamically expandable sheath capable of expanding within the blood vessel when a medical device is passed through the sheath and retracting back to almost its original size when the medical device is removed from the sheath. Embodiments generally comprise a rigid collar and an elongated sleeve comprising a continuous elastomeric outer layer and an expandable inner layer.

Catheters, sheaths, or other tubular devices are provided that include a proximal end, a distal end sized for introduction into a patient's body, and a steerable distal portion. The tubular device includes a primary lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends; an auxiliary lumen adjacent the primary lumen; and one or more reinforcement members including windings extending helically along at least the distal portion, at least some of the windings passing between the primary and steering element lumens and at least some of the windings surrounding both the primary and steering element lumens. In one embodiment, a steering element is slidably disposed within the auxiliary lumen. Apparatus and methods for making such tubular devices are also provided.

A catheter shaft is produced by forming a first polymeric layer onto a flexible inner core while maintaining the inner core in a solid state, and solidifying the first polymeric layer, wherein the solidified first polymeric layer fails to bond with the inner core and is slidable thereon upon flexion of the shaft. A second polymeric layer may be formed over the first polymeric layer, and is slidable thereon when the shaft bends.

A method for manufacturing a medical instrument having a lubricating layer (coating layer) that exhibits excellent durability (particularly, sliding durability) is provided. The method for manufacturing a medical instrument is a method for manufacturing a medical instrument that includes a base layer and a lubricating layer carried on at least a portion of the base layer. The method includes applying a solution including a block copolymer having a structural unit derived from a reactive monomer having an epoxy group and a structural unit derived from a hydrophilic monomer, a choline derivative, and a solvent, on the base layer.

A catheter assembly is disclosed, which includes a catheter, a catheter hub, a guide wire, and a guide wire hub. The guide wire has a guide wire rigidity changing portion that gradually decreases in rigidity from a proximal side toward a distal side, and the catheter has a catheter rigidity changing portion that gradually decreases in rigidity from a proximal side toward a distal side. In the catheter assembly, the catheter hub and the guide wire hub are connected to each other in a state where the distal side of the guide wire is exposed from a distal end of a lumen of a shaft portion and a guide wire rigidity changing point and a catheter rigidity changing point are aligned with each other in an axial direction.

In some examples, a catheter includes an elongated body including a proximal portion and a distal portion. The elongated body includes an inner liner, an outer jacket, a structural support member positioned between at least a portion of the inner liner and at least a portion of the outer jacket, and an expandable member coupled to the structural support member at the distal portion of the elongated body. The expandable member may be configured to expand radially outward, e.g., to engage a clot within vasculature of a patient.