Patent ID: 8343135

Claim:
A catheter for the delivery of fluid throughout an anatomical region, comprising: an elongated tubular body having a closed radiused distal end defined by a continuous, unbroken distal portion of said tubular body wherein the tubular body has a constant diameter to the closed distal end, said tubular body defining an interior lumen having a minimum cross-sectional flow area, wherein the interior lumen is open and unobstructed across the constant diameter and the constant diameter used to calculate the minimum cross-sectional flow area is measured from an innermost surface of the interior lumen, a distal end portion of said tubular body including a plurality of exit holes spaced from one another along a length of said tubular body, said plurality of exit holes having a fixed, non-variable diameter such that a combined flow area of said exit holes is less than said minimum cross-sectional flow area, such that said exit holes form a flow-restricting orifice for the flow of a fluid from within said lumen through said exit holes and into said anatomical region and wherein said combined flow area defines a total exit flow area of said fluid from said catheter such that a flow rate of fluid exiting the more proximal of said plurality of exit holes is substantially equal to a flow rate of fluid exiting the more distal of said plurality of exit holes, said plurality of exit holes each defining an area equal to the other of the plurality of exit holes, said plurality of exit holes being sized such that fluid introduced into a proximal end of said lumen first flows towards said distal end portion of said tubular body and fills said distal end portion without exiting said catheter via said plurality of exit holes until a threshold pressure is reached, wherein upon reaching said threshold pressure said fluid then exits said catheter via said plurality of exit holes; wherein said tubular body incorporates an anti-microbial substance and is configured for the sustained release of said anti-microbial substance into said fluid; wherein a diameter of each of said plurality of exit holes is about 5 microns.