Rapidly insertable central catheters including catheter assemblies and methods thereof

A rapidly insertable central catheter (“RICC”) assembly, comprising:

• a RICC including:
• a catheter tube including a side aperture through a side of the catheter tube in a distal-end portion thereof, the side aperture opening into an introducing lumen of the catheter tube that extends from at least the side aperture to a distal end of the RICC;
• a catheter hub coupled to a proximal-end portion of the catheter tube;
• and
• one or more extension legs, each extension leg of the one or more extension legs coupled to the catheter hub by a distal-end portion thereof;
• an introducer including an introducer needle having a needle hub and a cannula;
• and
• a coupling system including a distal coupler slidably attached to the catheter tube proximal of the side aperture;
• the cannula extending from the needle hub through a longitudinal through hole of the distal coupler, through the side aperture of the catheter tube, along the introducing lumen of the catheter tube, and through the distal end of the RICC when the RICC assembly is in a ready-to-deploy state thereof, the distal coupler including a tab configured to allow a clinician to single handedly advance the RICC off the cannula with a flick-type motion of a single finger of a hand while holding the introducer between a thumb and another finger or fingers of the hand, the RICC assembly thereby providing a mechanism for advancing the RICC without touching the catheter tube.