Preinsertion measurement of catheters

Abstract

Kits and methods of the invention provide for preinsertion measurement of a catheter and tunnel lengths required to position the tip of a catheter, such as a dialysis catheter, at a desired location within a body vessel or lumen, such as a vein. Kits of the invention include a wire of predetermined length which has a tip, a proximal end, and a plurality of markings at predefined intervals. The wire is inserted into a body vessel so that the tip of the wire is positioned at the desired catheter tip location. The number of markings on the portion of the wire remaining outside the body are then counted and used to calculate the length of wire either outside or inside the body. This length of wire may be found in a conversion chart, which is also included in the kit, and matched to a corresponding catheter and tunnel lengths or catheter code. Methods of the invention include inserting the wire having predetermined length, tip, proximal end and markings at predefined intervals in a vessel, positioning the wire at the desired catheter tip location using an imaging method, such as fluoroscopy, counting the number of markings remaining outside the body, and determining the catheter and tunnel lengths required based on the number of markings. The determination of the catheter and tunnel lengths required may also be performed using a conversion chart.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.