Patent ID: 7029467

Claim:
A system having a multiple lumen catheter with a soft tip, comprising: a generally tubular catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, the catheter body defining therein at least one primary lumen and at least one medical implement lumen; and a tapered catheter distal tip having a proximal region and a distal region, a proximal end abutting the distal end of the catheter body and a distal end, the catheter tip defining at least one primary lumen aligned with the primary lumen(s) of the catheter body end at least one medical implement lumen aligned with the medical implement lumen(s) of the catheter body, wherein a bending portion of the catheter tip is softer than the catheter body and has sufficient column strength to resist buckling during insertion, but is sufficiently flexible to deform when the tip is subjected to axial or radial loads in the body in the absence of the guidewire, and wherein, in transverse cross-section, both the primary lumen and the medical implement lumen are enlarged in the proximal region relative to the surrounding material in comparison to the relative size of the lumens and material in the distal region, such that the proximal region has a larger air-to-material ratio and is more flexible than the distal region.