Patent ID: 8690815

Claim:
An apparatus for providing needle access to a blood pathway comprising: a first fluid conduit comprising a graft conduit configured for attachment to an artery at a proximal end of the first fluid conduit; a second fluid conduit separate from the first fluid conduit comprising a catheter conduit configured for insertion in a vein at a distal end of the second fluid conduit, the distal end of the second fluid conduit being sized to permit collateral flow of blood around the second fluid conduit and through the vein in which the second fluid conduit is inserted; a connector element having an internal passageway in fluid communication with the first and second fluid conduits to form a blood pathway, the first end of the connector element being connected to a distal end of the first fluid conduit and a second end being connected to a proximal end of the second fluid conduit; and a self-sealing element comprising a wall structure forming, at least in part, a portion of a wall of the second fluid conduit or the connector element, the wall structure being formed of a tubular material that can be punctured by a needle to permit needle access to the blood pathway and that re-seals upon withdrawal of the needle, wherein the connector element has a transition zone occupying at least a portion of the internal passageway therein, the transition zone being configured to reduce turbulent or non-laminar flow in the blood pathway between the first and second fluid conduits.