| abstract |
A catheter introducer sheath assembly, for introduction into a body passage of a catheter (8) containing a filter comprises a flexible introducer sheath joined to the distal end of a closure device (2) forming a through-passage with a diameter sufficient to pass the catheter therethrough. The closure device (2) has a resilient member (22) in the through-passage and two rotatable body portions (4, 12), one stationery with respect to the resilient member (22), and the other rotatable about the axis of the resilient member (22) with an internal cam (18) circumferentially spaced around the axis. A compression member (24) positioned radially in an extending aperture (26) makes contact with both the resilient member and the cam surface (18) to vary the through-passage allowing the operator to manually control the passage of the device. The sheath assembly receives a cathetory guidewire (52) that slides through and extends beyond the closure device (2) and the sheath. |