Patent ID: 8366698

Claim:
A method of accessing jugular blood of a patient, the method comprising the steps of: providing a catheter having a catheter body having a longitudinal axis and longitudinally spaced proximal and distal catheter ends with an intermediate catheter portion defined therebetween, an intermediate catheter outlet in the catheter body, located in the intermediate catheter portion, and spaced longitudinally from the proximal and distal catheter ends, and a first lumen defined within the catheter body and having longitudinally spaced proximal and distal first lumen ends with a reversing bend located therebetween, the first lumen providing fluid communication between the proximal catheter end and the intermediate catheter outlet, and the reversing bend being located longitudinally between the intermediate catheter outlet and the distal catheter end, the reversing bend directing fluid flow to turn approximately 180° as the fluid flows through the first lumen; inserting the distal catheter end into the jugular vein of the patient in a caudad direction; positioning the intermediate catheter portion of the catheter within the jugular vein; maintaining the catheter within the jugular vein; providing a microcatheter having longitudinally spaced proximal and distal microcatheter ends with a microcatheter body located therebetween; inserting the distal microcatheter end into the proximal first lumen end; extending the microcatheter body through at least a portion of the first lumen; and extending the distal microcatheter end through the intermediate catheter outlet and away from the first lumen in a cephalad direction.