Patent ID: 8002743

Claim:
A catheter for accessing an intervertebral disc, said catheter comprising: an elongate flexible catheter body having a proximal portion, a distal portion, and at least one lumen for housing an injection tube and an inflation tube; the injection tube extending from the proximal portion to a distal tip of the catheter body, the injection tube being arranged to deliver an injection medium distally beyond an anchoring balloon into an intervertebral disc space; an inflatable anchoring balloon on the distal portion of the catheter body; an inflation tube extending from the proximal portion to the distal portion of the catheter body; an attachment member removably coupled to a proximal portion of the inflation tube, the attachment member having a channel extending from a proximal end to a distal end of the attachment member, the attachment member having a slot opening extending from the proximal end to the distal end in communication with the channel; a first Tuohy Borst connector removably coupled to the attachment member and the inflation tube; a stopcock removably coupled to the first Tuohy Borst connector, the stopcock comprising a first pressure relief structure that vents an inflation medium if the pressure exceeds a predetermined pressure; a first check valve upstream from and removably coupled to the stopcock, the first check valve ensures that the inflation medium only flows downstream in the direction of the stopcock; a second pressure relief structure removably coupled to the first check valve; and a first syringe removably coupled to the first check valve, wherein the first syringe injects the inflation medium into the first check valve to inflate the inflatable anchoring balloon such that when the inflatable anchoring balloon reaches the predetermined pressure the second pressure relief structure opens and the inflation medium passes through an exit port of the second pressure relief structure in a visible manner such that a user of the catheter knows the predetermined pressure has been reached; wherein the slot opening permits removal of the attachment member over the inflation tube such that the attachment member can be removed from the inflation tube while the first Tuohy Borst connector remains removably coupled to the inflation tube.