Patent ID: 8496645

Claim:
A drainage catheter comprising: a catheter tube having distal and proximal ends, a central lumen, and wherein the distal end is configurable between an insertable configuration and a locked configuration; a first connector piece attached to the proximal end of the catheter tube, the first connector piece including a first central lumen that is contiguous with the central lumen; a second connector piece insertably attachable to the first connector piece, the second connector piece including a second central lumen contiguous with the first central lumen and the central lumen; a sealing tube disposed partially within a first slot in the first connector piece and partially within a second slot of the second connector piece; a tension member, at least partially disposed through the central lumen and first central lumen, the tension member having first and second ends, one of the first and second ends being attached to the second connector piece; a spooling region disposed between (a) the first connector piece and the second connector piece and (b) between the first and second central lumens and the sealing tube; and wherein the tension member is tensioned by rotation of the first connector piece relative to the second connector piece while the first and second connector pieces are moved relative to one another in a first axial direction, whereby a portion of the tension member is wound around the spooling region to lock the tension member in a locked position, and the tensioning of the tension member causes the distal end of the catheter tube to move from the insertable configuration to the locked configuration.