A surgical apparatus container assembly (30) includes a base or container element (32) and a cover (34) able to slide over the base element (32). The cover (34) includes a rounded elongated channel (50) extending along its top surface, bounded by a first and second rounded ridges (52). The base element (32) has a top surface with a shape consistent with the shape of the inside surface of the cover (34). The channel (50) provides a support and guide surface for an introducer assembly or other device held within the assembly (30) and is particularly useful in keeping an introducer assembly in the correct orientation during the course of a medical procedure, for instance aligned with a percutaneous entry point into a patient. The packaging assembly (30) can be placed, in one embodiment, between the patient's legs (106) with the cover (34) resting on the patient's thighs. This enables the support channel (50) to be located adjacent the percutaneous entry point (104).
