Patent ID: 8545434

Claim:
A catheter for use in the extracorporeal treatment of bodily fluids, comprising: an elongated generally cylindrical catheter body configured for sheathless substantially non-traumatic entry into a body vessel, said catheter body having a proximal end and a distal end, said distal end tapering to a distal tip portion suitable for said sheathless substantially non-traumatic entry, said catheter body having a pair of lumens extending therein, said catheter body having a withdrawal port in communication with a first one of said lumens for transporting fluid withdrawn from the body vessel for said treatment, an infusion port in communication with a second one of said lumens for return of treated fluid to the vessel, and a septum separating said first and second lumens, said withdrawal port defining a non-planar longitudinal curvature extending a length of about 5 to 15 mm in the proximal direction from a distal end to a proximal end of said withdrawal port, and wherein said proximal end of said withdrawal port is substantially perpendicular to a wall of said vessel, said withdrawal port being proximal to said infusion port along a length of said catheter body, and wherein said infusion port comprises an opening at said distal tip portion.