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 first section formed of a first material having a first durometer;
• a second section formed of a second material having a second durometer less than the first durometer;
• and
• a side aperture through a side of the catheter tube in a distal-end portion thereof but proximal of the first section of the catheter tube, 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 cannula extending through the distal end of the RICC when the RICC assembly is in at least a ready-to-deploy state of the RICC assembly;
• and
• a coupling system configured to couple the RICC and the introducer together, the coupling system including a distal coupler slidably attached to the catheter tube proximal of the side aperture.