Patent ID: 9289232
Filing Date: 2016-03-22
CPC Classification: A61B,A61M

Claim Text:
1. A tunneling device for creating a subcutaneous path for placement of a catheter in a patient, comprising: an elongated shaft, said shaft having a body and a rounded distal end, said body comprising substantially the same diameter along its length up to the rounded distal end, said rounded distal end comprising a tapering cross-section along its length; at least one interior lumen extending along at least a portion of the elongated shaft, the at least one interior lumen having a closed distal end that ends prior to the distal end of said shaft; at least one outlet positioned on the body of the elongated shaft proximal to the tapering cross-section of the rounded distal end, said outlet extending from the at least one interior lumen to an external surface of said shaft for selectively delivering fluids therethrough, the at least one interior lumen extending distally past the at least one outlet to the closed distal end; a handle having a proximal end and distal end, said distal end of said handle configured with said shaft so as to permit a user of said tunneling device to grasp and manually manipulate said tunneling device; a sheath positioned over a portion of said shaft, said sheath comprising a handle portion at a proximal end thereof, said handle portion comprising two tabs opposite one another, each tab comprising two opposing raised contact members and a distal-side protrusion, wherein the distal-side protrusion extends from a distal edge of each tab, wherein one of the raised contact members is on a distal side of the handle portion and one of the raised contact members is on a proximal side of the handle portion such that the two opposing raised contact members are longitudinally aligned with each other on opposite sides of the tab, wherein the distal-side raised contact members of each tab restrict movement of the sheath relative to an adjacent object, and wherein the proximal-side raised contact members of each tab restrict movement of the sheath relative to said handle such that said sheath and said shaft can be advanced together within a body of a patient and wherein the handle portion and sheath are splittable when the two tabs are pulled apart; and a connection fitting positioned at a proximal end of the handle, wherein said connection fitting is configured to place the at least one interior lumen and the at least one outlet in fluid communication with a fluid source, wherein the elongated shaft comprises a rigidity sufficient to advance the tunneling device to a target location within the body of the patient.