Patent ID: 7935102

Claim:
A method for preventing gas from entering a catheter, wherein the catheter interior is exposed to blood or other liquid, said method comprising: affixing an axially elongate shell at or near the proximal end of a first catheter, wherein said shell comprises a chamber having a centerline; rotating an impeller about or near the centerline of the chamber, wherein said rotation of said impeller directly imparts rotational energy to a fluid within the chamber causing any gas collected within the chamber to migrate toward the centerline; removing the gas from the chamber through a gas removal port near the centerline of said shell; affixing a catheter inlet port to the shell near a periphery of said chamber, said catheter inlet port operably connected to the chamber; affixing a catheter outlet port near the distal end of the shell, said catheter outlet port being affixed, and operably connected to the proximal end of the first catheter, and near a periphery of said chamber, wherein the catheter inlet port is coaxially aligned with the catheter outlet port; inserting a second catheter through the catheter inlet port, through the chamber, through the catheter outlet port, through the first catheter, and on into the cardiovascular system of a patient; and separating any liquid removed from the chamber from the gas.