Tyco Group S.a.r.l.

Quinton Instrument Company

Allen J Hicks

Margo L Gisselberg

A catheter introducer which allows a dilator member and a sheath member to be engaged with and disengaged from each other promptly and smoothly. The catheter introducer includes a sheath member consisting of a sheath portion and a sheath hub and a dilator member consisting of a dilator portion and a dilator hub and a locking mechanism operatively connecting the sheath member and dilator member during the insertion of the catheter introducer into the body of the patient. The dilator hub includes one or more flange members associated therewith and the flange member is rotatable with respect to the sheath hub to selectively engage the sheath hub in a first position and disengage the sheath hub in a second position.

Catheter introducer

A tapered single or multi-lumen catheter having an elongated cylindrical tube for injection and removal of fluid is provided with generally constant or gradually increasing diameter internal lumen or lumens which are connected to a tip portion which may be a conical tapered tip that smoothly merges with the cylindrical surface of the tube so that insertion trauma and the possibility of kinking are minimized. The catheter body is generally formed of proximal and distal portions wherein the proximal portion preferably includes a portion which increases in external diameter in the proximal direction to provide a strain relief for the intersection of the catheter body and the hub member of the catheter. The portion of the catheter body which increases in diameter may also include one or more lumens therein which similarly increase in diameter to increase the flow of fluid therethrough or which are of constant diameter such that the outer wall of the catheter body increases in thickness therealong to increase the columnar strength of the catheter body therealong.

Tapered and reinforced catheter

A single or multiple lumen catheter having one or more non-circular, oval, elliptical or oblong shaped lumens therein and wherein the cross sectional shapes of a plurality of the lumens in the multiple lumen catheters are opposed with respect to each other to minimize the existence of sharp corners or flow restriction areas in the lumen and minimizing the occurrence of septum or catheter wall deflection while maximizing the cross sectional area of the lumens of the catheter.

Growing community of inventors

Woodinville, WA, United States of America

Allen J Hicks