What is an Up and over sheath medical equipment?
Sometimes called a Balkin sheath, an up-and-over sheath is a U-shaped sheath. It is designed to facilitate interventions in which arterial access is via one femoral artery and the lesion to be treated is in the contralateral extremity. A catheter and guidewire are placed into the aorta, and the contralateral iliac artery is selected. The sheath is placed over the wire. The preshaped “U” curve assists passage over the aortic bifurcation. After angioplasty or stenting, arteriography can be performed by injecting contrast material through the side arm of the sheath.