SCW Medicath Ltd. has published a technical note that sets out how introducer sheaths, hemostasis valve sets and balloon inflation devices are checked against one another before a vascular access order is confirmed. The note was issued in Shenzhen in November 2026 and is intended for distributors, catheter laboratory procurement teams and clinical engineering staff who review device lists rather than individual catalog entries.
The publication responds to a recurring pattern in quotation requests. A distributor may order a sheath in one French size, a Y connector on a separate line and an inflation device on a third, while the compatibility question from the catheter laboratory concerns the three items as a single assembly.
The note organizes the checks in the order in which they are normally made: calibre first, then length and access route, then the valve and side-port configuration, and finally the inflation device and its pressure class. Calibre is expressed in the French scale, under which 1 Fr equals 1/3 mm. A 4F sheath corresponds to a nominal 1.33 mm, 5F to 1.67 mm and 6F to 2.00 mm, with 7F, 8F, 9F and 10F continuing the same progression. The note points out that the scale describes the outer diameter of catheters but the nominal diameter of sheaths, and that sizing errors most often follow from comparing an outer diameter with an inner one. Guide wires are specified in inches rather than in French sizes, so 0.018 in, 0.035 in and 0.038 in wires are checked separately against the sheath inner diameter. The working rule recorded in the note is that the sheath inner diameter has to accommodate the largest device intended to pass through it, with the final decision resting on the device instructions for use and the operator’s judgement.
Length and access route form the second set of checks. Radial and femoral routes call for different sheath lengths and different hub geometry, and the note lists the sheath families available for each route: standard introducer sets, transradial introducer sets, hydrophilic introducer sets, peelable introducer sets and introducer needles. Each family is identified by its catalog number range so that a quotation can be traced back to a specific data sheet. Hydrophilic and peelable versions are listed as separate options rather than as substitutes, because their coating and removal behaviour differ.
The valve section describes how a hemostasis valve, usually supplied as a Y connector, maintains a seal at the sheath hub while guide wires, catheters and balloons are exchanged. It lists three operating styles, namely twist, push-pull and click, and records the extension-line variants in which a 25 cm or 45 cm line with a stopcock moves the manifold connection away from the puncture site. A side port for flushing and pressure monitoring is treated as part of the same assembly, which is why the valve is checked together with the inflation device rather than afterwards.
For inflation devices, the note groups the range by pressure class and barrel volume. Standard models are supplied in 20 ml and 30 ml barrels with a stopcock, while the 30 bar and 40 bar series, an ergonomic series and a gun-type series cover higher-pressure and one-handed configurations. The selection rule stated in the note is that the device pressure rating has to remain informative above the balloon’s rated burst pressure, so that the gauge does not sit at the end of its scale during an inflation. Models that are pre-assembled with a valve set and extension line are identified separately, so that duplicate components are not added to an order.
“Distributors often receive one order line for each component, while the catheter laboratory reviews the same items as an assembly,” said Steve Wong, Marketing Manager at SCW Medicath Ltd. “The note sets out the sequence of checks used internally, so that a quotation can be reviewed against a device list and the corresponding data sheets.”
The note also records which documentation accompanies each family: catalog references, specification tables, instructions for use and the verification records held for the corresponding production batches. It does not set out clinical indications or recommend a treatment approach, and it refers readers to the instructions for use supplied with each device for all clinical decisions. The specification tables are indexed by product family rather than by market, so that a distributor reviewing orders for more than one country works from the same set of figures.
