An introducer assembly for deploying an implantable medical device such as a stent has an elongate sheath 12 over a carrier rod 14 mounted in a handle unit 10. A flushing unit 34 is located over the proximal end of the sheath, which is sealed by a separate collet 64, and forms a chamber around the sheath sealed at each end by sealing rings 38,40. On the portion of the sheath located within the flushing chamber there is at least one hole 48 in its side wall. Flushing fluid injected through flushing port 44 passes through the hole and flushes the annular lumen between the sheath and the carrier rod. The handle may incorporate a spring biased reel 24 onto which the sheath may be retracted once it has been split by a blade 30. A locking mechanism can clamp the sheath and may be integrated with a shield which covers the flushing port.
