Patent ID: 8801669

Claim:
A valve assembly for use with a catheter for evacuation of bodily fluids through said catheter, said valve assembly comprising; a hollow valve body, three ports in fluid communication with said hollow valve body, one of said three ports adapted to be coupled to a source of reduced pressure, and a movable stopper in each of the other two ports of the said three ports biased for simultaneously opening one port and closing the other port and wherein said catheter comprises an elongated hollow catheter having a distal end and reduced cross-section portion at a proximal end thereof, and an introducer needle slidably mounted over said catheter, said introducer needle having an elongated slit with a circumference in the range of greater than 0 degrees to slightly less than 180 degrees adapted to slide over said reduced cross-section portion of said catheter to separate said introducer needle from said catheter for percutaneous placement of said catheter.