Figure-eight, dual-lumen catheter and method of using

A dual-lumen catheter suitable for surgical implantation in a patient through a subcutaneous tunnel having a point of entry to the skin and a point of entry to the vessel, comprising:

• (a) two plastic tubes attached side-by-side to form a figure-8, dual-lumen body, wherein at least one tube has a lumen large enough to allow drawing blood from the patient;
• (b) a first plastic fill-in portion bonded to the body, having a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of said two tubes, positionable at the point of entry to the skin to reduce the passage of bacteria along the body;
• (c) a second plastic fill-in portion bonded to the body, having a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of said two tubes, positionable at the point of entry to the vessel to reduce blood leakage when the vessel is secured with a ligature;
• and
• (d) a cuff positionable between the first and second fill-in portions between the point of entry to the skin and the point of entry to the vessel, when implanted, to promote tissue in-growth which will fix the catheter within the patient.

A dual-lumen catheter suitable for surgical implanation in a patient through a subcutaneous tunnel having a point of entry to the skin and a point of entry to the vessel, comprising:

• (a) two plastic tubes attached side-by-side to form a figure-8, dual-lumen body, wherein at least one tube has a lumen large enough to allow drawing blood from the patient;
• (b) a first plastic fill-in portion bonded to the body in segments attached to the body on opposite sides of the figure-8 to provide a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of said two tubes, positionable at the point of entry to the skin to reduce the passage of bacteria along the body, and having a smoothed surface to substantially eliminate tissue growth into the matrix of the fill-in portion;
• (c) a second plastic fill-in portion bonded to the body, spaced away from the first fill-in portion by an intermediate section of the body, having segments attached to the body on opposite sides of the figure-8 to provide a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of said two tubes, positionable at the point of entry to the vessel to reduce blood leakage when the vessel is secured with a ligature, and having a smoothed surface to substantially eliminate tissue growth into the matrix of the fill-in portion;
• and
• (d) a cuff positionable on the intermediate section between the first and second fill-in portions to be between the point of entry to the skin and the point of entry to the vessel to promote tissue in-growth which will fix the catheter within the patient after implantation and which will reduce the passage of bacteria along the intermediate section.

A dual-lumen catheter suitable for surgical implantation in a patient through a subcutaneous tunnel having a point of entry to the skin and a point of entry to the vessel, comprising:

• (a) two plastic tubes attached side-by-side to form a figure-8, dual-lumen body, wherein at least one tube has a lumen large enough to allow drawing blood from the patient;
• (b) a plastic fill-in portion having segments bonded to the body on opposite sides of the figure-8 to provide a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of said two tubes, being sufficiently long that the fill-in portion extends between the point of entry to the skin and the point of entry to the vessel, upon implantation, so that the fill-in portion reduces blood leakage at the point of entry to the vessel when the vessel is secured with a ligature and reduces passage of bacteria along the body at the point of entry to the skin, and having a smoothed surface to substantially eliminate tissue growth into the matrix of the fill-in portion;
• and
• (c) a cuff positioned on the fill-in portion between the point of entry to the skin and the point of entry to the vessel, to promote tissue in-growth upon implantation, which will fix the catheter within the patient after implantation and which will reduce the passage of bacteria along the intermediate section.

A dual-lumen catheter suitable for surgical implantation in a patient through a subcutaneous tunnel having a point of entry to the skin and a point of entry to the desired vessel, comprising:

• (a) two tubes attached side-by-side to form a figure-8, dual-lumen body;
• (b) a first fill-in portion on the body, having a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of said two tubes, positionable at the point of entry to the skin to reduce the passage of bacteria along the body;
• and
• (c) a second fill-in portion on the body, having a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of said two tubes, positionable at the point of entry to the vessel to reduce blood leakage when the vessel is secured with a ligature.

A method of surgically implanting a figure-8, dual-lumen catheter, comprising the steps of:

• (a) creating a subcutaneous tunnel between a point of entry to the skin and a point of entry to a vessel;
• (b) inserting a figure-8, dual-lumen catheter through the tunnel into the vessel;
• (c) reducing fluid leakage from the vessel by contacting the vessel with a fill-in portion on the catheter, having a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of the two tubes that form the figure-8, dual-lumen catheter;
• and
• (d) reducing passage of bacteria into the tunnel by contacting the skin with a fill-in portion on the catheter, having a substantially convex, smoothly curving outer locus and bridging the junction of the two tubes that form the figure-8, dual-lumen catheter.