An apparatus for installation of a tunneled vascular catheter into a patients right atrium from the left side of their upper body. The apparatus comprises a dilator and a peel-away sheath. The dilator has a distal end portion and a proximal end portion interconnected by a shaft portion, with a lumen extending therethrough. The distal end portion is curved about 1° to about 3° from the longitudinal axis of the shaft portion. The end of the proximal end portion is provided with a flange. The total length of the dilator is about 3 cm to about 6 cm. The distal end of the peel-away sheath is provided a flange for contacting the flange at the end of the proximal end portion of the dilator. The length of the peel-away sheath is about 2.5 cm to about 4.5 cm.
