Paramjith Anand;Eric Tobin;Shekhar D. Nimkar;Stephen E. Albrecht
发明人:
Shekhar D. Nimkar,Stephen E. Albrecht,Paramjith Anand,Eric Tobin
申请号：
US12263141
公开号：
US08206371B2
申请日:
2008.10.31
申请国别(地区):
US
年份:
2012
代理人:
摘要：
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for inserting flexible, multi-lumen catheters into blood vessels, and in particular, for inserting flexible, split-tip catheters into blood vessels. The invention accomplishes these objects by temporarily stiffening each catheter lumen and tip independently through use of intra-catheter stiffener elements disposed within the catheter lumens. This provides means for advancing the catheter/stiffeners assembly through a subcutaneous tunnel, and over a plurality of guidewires until a distal tip of the catheter is at a desired position within the vessel. The intra-catheter stiffener elements are sufficiently stiffening to allow advancing the catheter over guidewires, but sufficiently flexible to allow bending and looping of the catheter for proper placement within the vessel.
