Patent ID: 7985205

Claim:
An external bolster for a medical catheter implanted in a patient at an insertion site, said external bolster comprising: (a) a base, said base being enlarged relative to the insertion site of the medical catheter, said base having an opening through which the medical catheter may be inserted; (b) a strain relief member, said strain relief member being coupled to said base and through which the medical catheter may be inserted, said strain relief member comprising a tube having a first end distal to said base, a second end proximal to said base, and a longitudinal lumen extending from said first end of said tube to said second end of said tube, said strain relief member further comprising a hook positioned on the exterior of said tube proximate to said second end of said tube; and (c) a tether, said tether having a first end and a second end, said first end of said tether being secured to said tube at a point proximate to said first end of said tube, said second end of said tether comprising an opening through which said hook is removably received to maintain the tube in a bent shape, so that said tube is reversibly transformable between the bent shape comprising first and second arms positioned relative to one another at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees and a straight shape comprising a single arm, wherein said tube, when in said bent shape, causes the medical catheter to assume a bent shape and, when in said straight shape, causes the medical catheter to assume a straight shape.