Introducer sheath having profiled reinforcing member

1. An introducer sheath comprising:

an inner liner having a passageway extending longitudinally therethrough;

a reinforcing member positioned longitudinally over the inner liner, the reinforcing member comprising a coiled wire having adjacent coil turns extending helically around the inner liner, the wire having a monolithic cross-section comprising longitudinally opposing end portions and a center portion, wherein a thickness of said wire at said end portions is greater than a thickness at said center portion, wherein said cross-section has an upper and lower surface, and wherein between about 10 and 30% of said thickness is removed from said center portion of at least one of said upper and lower surfaces; and

an outer jacket positioned longitudinally over said inner liner and said coiled wire, said outer jacket bonded to said inner liner between said coil turns.

2. The introducer sheath of claim 1 , wherein at least a distal end portion of the outer jacket has a durometer between about 70 and 90 on the Shore D scale.

3. The introducer sheath of claim 1 , wherein said end portions have a generally curved outer surface.

4. The introducer sheath of claim 3 , wherein at least one of said wire end portions has a radius r and a thickness t, said end portion generally curved surface being defined by the formula r=t/2.

5. The introducer sheath of claim 3 , wherein at least one of said wire end portions has a radius r and a thickness t, said end portion generally curved surface not exceeding r=t/4.

6. The introducer sheath of claim 1 , wherein said inner liner comprises a lubricious fluoropolymer, and said outer jacket comprises at least one of a polyether block amide, a polyamide, and a polyurethane.

7. An introducer sheath comprising:

an inner liner having a passageway extending longitudinally therethrough;

a reinforcing member positioned longitudinally over the inner liner, the reinforcing member comprising a coiled wire having adjacent coil turns extending helically around the inner liner, the wire having a monolithic cross-section comprising longitudinally opposing end portions and a center portion, wherein a thickness of said wire at said end portions is greater than a thickness at said center portion; and

an outer jacket positioned longitudinally over said inner liner and said coiled wire, said outer jacket bonded to said inner liner between said coil turns, wherein said cross-section has an upper and lower surface, and wherein up to about 40% of said thickness is removed from said center portion at each of said upper and lower surfaces when compared to the thickness of said end portions.

8. The introducer sheath of claim 7 , wherein said thickness of said wire center portion does not exceed about one-third of said thickness of said end portions.

9. The introducer sheath of claim 7 , wherein at least a distal end portion of the outer jacket has a durometer between about 70 and 90 on the Shore D scale, wherein the thickness of the center portion is about one-third of the thickness of the end portions, and wherein said end portions have a generally curved outer surface.

10. The introducer sheath of claim 7 , wherein the thickness of the center portion is about one-third of the thickness of the end portions.

11. An introducer sheath comprising:

an inner liner having a passageway extending longitudinally therethrough, said inner liner having an outer surface;

a coil of a wire positioned longitudinally over the inner liner, the coil having adjacent coil turns extending around the inner liner, the wire having a monolithic cross-section comprising longitudinally opposing end portions and a center portion disposed between said opposing end portions, said center portion having a thickness not exceeding about one-third of a thickness of said end portions for reducing a bending modulus of said coil, said end portions having a generally curved outer surface; and

an outer jacket positioned longitudinally over said inner liner and said coil, said outer jacket bonded to said inner liner between said coil turns, at least a distal end portion of the outer jacket having a durometer between about 70 and 90 on the Shore D scale.

12. The introducer sheath of claim 11 , wherein at least one of said wire end portions has a radius r and a thickness t, said at least one of said wire end portions generally curved surface being defined by the formula r=t/2.

13. The introducer sheath of claim 11 , wherein at least one of said wire end portions has a radius r and a thickness t, said at least one of said wire end portions generally curved surface not exceeding r=t/4.

14. The introducer sheath of claim 11 , wherein said cross-section comprises about one-third of said thickness of said wire end portions.

15. The introducer sheath of claim 11 , wherein the coil is the only coil present in the introducer sheath.