Catheter with stiffening element
First Claim
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1. A catheter comprising:
- an elongate flexible catheter body having a plurality of lumens including a first lumen defined by an inner tube and a second lumen defined by an outer tube exterior to the first lumen, the flexible catheter body having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end;
a hub having a plurality of access hubs including a first access hub and a second access hub, the first access hub being in fluid communication with the first lumen and the second access hub being in fluid communication with the second lumen, where the outer tube is coupled to the hub and the inner tube is coupled to the hub; and
a stiffening element running longitudinally in the second lumen, where the stiffening element is coupled to the hub.
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Abstract
Catheters having a stiffening element are disclosed. The resultant catheters may include one or more access hubs. During use of the catheters, a stiffening element can provide an increased and variable resistance to deformation of the catheter body. The proximal end of the stiffening element may be coupled to the catheter hub. The stiffening element may move in the lumen it occupies as the catheter is threaded along the wire guide, thus allowing the catheter components to attain their lowest energy configuration at each bend.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A catheter comprising:
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an elongate flexible catheter body having a plurality of lumens including a first lumen defined by an inner tube and a second lumen defined by an outer tube exterior to the first lumen, the flexible catheter body having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end;
a hub having a plurality of access hubs including a first access hub and a second access hub, the first access hub being in fluid communication with the first lumen and the second access hub being in fluid communication with the second lumen, where the outer tube is coupled to the hub and the inner tube is coupled to the hub; and
a stiffening element running longitudinally in the second lumen, where the stiffening element is coupled to the hub. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of making a catheter, comprising:
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providing an elongate flexible catheter body having a plurality of lumens including a first lumen defined by an inner tube and a second lumen defined by an outer tube exterior to the first lumen, the flexible catheter body having a longitudinal axis extending between a proximal end and a distal end;
providing a hub having a plurality of access hubs including a first access hub and a second access hub;
providing a stiffening element running longitudinally in the second lumen;
coupling the outer tube to a distal region of the hub;
coupling the inner tube to a proximal region of the hub, where the first access hub is in fluid communication with the first lumen and the second access hub is in fluid communication with the second lumen; and
coupling the stiffening element to the proximal region of the hub.
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Specification