Blood Draw Device with Support Tube for Prevention of Kinking During Catheter Advancement

A blood draw device for advancing a catheter into an indwelling catheter of a vascular access device, the blood draw device comprising:

• an introducer comprising a housing having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, with the housing defining an inner volume;
• a coupling member positioned at the distal end portion and coupleable to the vascular access device;
• a catheter movably received within the inner volume;
• a support tube movably received within the inner volume and defining a tube lumen therein configured to receive the catheter, with the support tube formed of a flexible, kink-resistant material;
• a primary advancement member movably coupled to the housing and configured to move relative to the housing to move the catheter between a first catheter position, in which the catheter is disposed within the introducer or within the introducer and the coupling member, and a second catheter position, in which a distal end portion of the catheter is disposed beyond the distal end portion of the introducer and into or distally past a distal end of the indwelling catheter;
• and
• a secondary advancement member movably coupled to the housing, distal from the primary advancement member, and configured to move relative to the housing to move the support tube between a first tube position, in which the support tube is disposed within the introducer or within the introducer and the coupling member, and a second tube position, in which a distal end portion of the support tube is disposed beyond the distal end portion of the introducer and into or distally past a distal end of the indwelling catheter;
• wherein, with the support tube in the second tube position and the catheter moving from the first position to the second catheter position, the support tube is arranged coaxially about a portion of the catheter, to prevent kinking of the catheter as it is advanced from the first catheter position to the second catheter position.