Indwelling catheter

A catheter which is insertable into a subcutaneous passage in the body of a human or animal recipient which is living or has been recently living, for indwelling therein while blood or other liquid is transmitted through the catheter between the passage and an auxiliary apparatus external to the recipient, comprising:

• a pair of elongated relatively inner and outer cannulae which have longitudinal axes and elongated bores extending therethrough along the axes thereof, and the relatively inner of which cannulae is telescopically engageable in and disengageable from the bore of the relatively outer cannula when the respective cannulae are coaxially aligned with one another along the respective longitudinal axes thereof,
• the relatively outer cannula having relatively proximal and distal ends spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal axis thereof, an outer periphery circumposed about the longitudinal axis thereof between the respective ends thereof, a cylindrical outline at the outer periphery thereof, and a cylindrical surface circumposed about the longitudinal axis thereof on the cylindrical outline thereof,
• the relatively inner cannula having a shank which is telescopically engageable in and through the bore of the relatively outer cannula from the proximal end thereof, and a hilt which is disposed on the shank and adapted to abut the proximal end of the relatively outer cannula when the shank has extended through the bore of the relatively outer cannula to the extent that the shank projects relatively outwardly beyond the distal end of the relatively outer cannula to form a puncturing tip thereon for the catheter,
• the proximal end portion of the relatively outer cannula having a pusher tab relatively radially upstanding on the cylindrical surface thereof, which projects relatively radially outwardly from the cylindrical outline of the relatively outer cannula at the outer periphery thereof, to the extent that when a user grips the hilt of the relatively inner cannula with one hand to advance the distal end portion of the relatively outer cannula into a passage of a recipient and disengage the relatively inner cannula from the bore of the relatively outer cannula, he/she can apply one finger of his/her one hand to the tab, to drive the relatively outer cannula relatively forward toward the puncture in the skin of the recipient,
• but the tab being less than a quadrant in angular extent about the proximal end portion of the relatively outer cannula circumferentially thereof, so that during the advancement of the distal end portion of the relatively outer cannula into the passage of the recipient, the tab can be angularly oriented about the axis of the relatively outer cannula to upstand at a location on the opposite side of the axis of the relatively outer cannula from the skin of the recipient, but afterward, when the distal end portion of the relatively outer cannula is inserted in the passage below the skin, the relatively outer cannula can be rotated about the axis thereof to lay the tab over against the skin of the recipient while skin attachable hold-down means are applied over the tab to detachably secure the relatively outer cannula to the skin, at least crosswise of its axis and rotationally thereof, and
• the tab taking the form of a stud which is spaced apart from the proximal end of the relatively outer cannula, forwardly of its axis on the cylindrical surface thereof, and is ancipital longitudinally of the relatively outer cannula.

An elongated relatively outer cannula for assembly with a relatively inner cannula to form a catheter which is insertable into a subcutaneous passage in the body of a human or animal recipient which is living or has recently been living, for indwelling therein while blood or other liquid is transmitted through the catheter between the passage and an auxiliary apparatus external to the recipient, comprising:

• an elongated tubular member which has a longitudinal axis and an elongated bore extending therethrough along the axis thereof,
• the tubular member having relatively proximal and distal ends spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal axis thereof, an outer periphery circumposed about the longitudinal axis thereof between the respective ends thereof, a cylindrical outline at the outer periphery thereof, and a cylindrical surface circumposed about the longitudinal axis thereof on the cylindrical outline thereof,
• the proximal and distal end portions of the tubular member being relatively enlarged and reduced in diameter, respectively, at the cylindrical surface of the tubular member, so that the distal end portion of the tubular member forms a puncture insertable sheath for the distal end portion of the relatively inner cannula, and the proximal end portion of the tubular member forms a relatively radially enlarged hub at the proximal end of the sheath, for the proximal end portion of the relatively inner cannula,
• the proximal end portion of the tubular member having a pusher tab relatively radially upstanding on the cylindrical surface thereof, which projects relatively radially outwardly from the cylindrical outline of the tubular member at the outer periphery thereof, to the extent that when a user grips the relatively inner cannula with one hand to advance the distal end portion of the tubular member into a passage and disengage the relatively inner cannula from the bore of the tubular member, he/she can apply one finger of his/her one hand to the tab, to drive the tubular member relatively forward toward the puncture in the skin of the recipient,
• but the tab being less than a quadrant in angular extent about the proximal end portion of the tubular member circumferentially thereof, so that during the advancement of the distal end portion of the tubular member into the passage of the recipient, the tab can be angularly oriented about the axis of the tubular member to upstand at a location on the opposite side of the axis of the tubular member from the skin of the recipient, but afterward, when the distal end portion of the tubular member is inserted in the passage below the skin, the tubular member can be rotated about the axis thereof to lay the tab over against the skin of the recipient while skin attachable hold-down means are applied over the tab to detachably secure the tubular member to the skin, at least crosswise of its axis and rotationally thereof, and
• the tab taking the form of a stud which is spaced apart from the proximal end of the tubular member, forwardly of its axis on the cylindrical surface thereof, and is ancipital longitudinally of the tubular member.

A catheter which is insertable into a subcutaneous passage in the body of a human or animal recipient which is living or has been recently living, for indwelling therein while blood or other liquid is transmitted through the catheter between the passage and an auxiliary apparatus external to the recipient, comprising:

• a pair of elongated relatively inner and outer cannulae which have longitudinal axes and elongated bores extending therethrough along the axes thereof, and the relatively inner of which cannulae is telescopically engageable in and disengageable from the bore of the relatively outer cannula when the respective cannulae are coaxially aligned with one another along the respective longitudinal axes thereof,
• the relatively outer cannula having relatively proximal and distal ends spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal axis thereof, an outer periphery circumposed about the longitudinal axis thereof between the respective ends thereof, a generally cylindrical outline at the outer periphery thereof, a generally cylindrical surface circumposed about the longitudinal axis thereof on the cylindrical outline thereof, and a band of ambient atmosphere circumposed about the outer periphery thereof at the cylindrical surface thereof, the band of ambient atmosphere having four successive quadrants circumferentially of the surface,
• the relatively inner cannula having a shank which is telescopically engageable in and through the bore of the relatively outer cannula from the proximal end thereof, and a hilt which is disposed on the shank and adapted to abut the proximal end of the relatively outer cannula when the shank has extended through the bore of the relatively outer cannula to the extent that the shank projects relatively outwardly beyond the distal end of the relatively outer cannula to form a puncturing tip thereon for the catheter,
• the proximal end portion of the relatively outer cannula having a pusher tab relatively radially upstanding on the cylindrical surface thereof, which is rigidly connected to the relatively outer cannula in the directions lengthwise the longitudinal axis thereof, and projects relatively radially outwardly from the generally cylindrical outline of the relatively outer cannula at the outer periphery thereof, to the extent that when a user grips the hilt of the relatively inner cannula with one hand to advance the distal end portion of the relatively outer cannula into a passage of a recipient and disengage the relatively inner cannula from the bore of the relatively outer cannula, he/she can apply one finger of his/her one hand to the tab, to drive the relatively outer cannula relatively forward toward the puncture in the skin of the recipient,
• but the tab being less than one of the four quadrants in angular extent about the proximal end portion of the relatively outer cannula circumferentially thereof, and the remaining three quadrants of ambient atmosphere thereabout being open and unobstructed circumferentially of the surface on the relatively outer cannula, so that during the advancement of the distal end portion of the relatively outer cannula into the passage of the recipient, the tab can be angularly oriented about the axis of the relatively outer cannula to upstand at a location on the opposite side of the axis of the relatively outer cannula from the skin of the recipient, but afterward, when the distal end portion of the relatively outer cannula is inserted in the passage below the skin, the tab can be rotated about the longitudinal axis of the relatively outer cannula, if desired, and laid over against the skin of the recipient while skin-attachable hold down means are applied over the tab to detachably secure the relatively outer cannula to the skin, at least crosswise of its axis and rotationally thereof.