Patent ID: 8328790

Claim:
A tunneler for subcutaneous tunneling of a catheter, comprising: a shaft having an advancement end and a catheter connection end, the catheter connection end having a catheter connection end portion extending to a lumen insertion tip and having at least one lumen-gripping section about the circumference of the catheter connection end portion near the lumen insertion tip and further having a longitudinal axis, wherein each at least one lumen-gripping section defines, at a plane extending radially from and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the catheter connection end portion and extending through the respective at least one lumen-gripping section, a continuous circumferential surface including a plurality of lumen-engaging surface portions defined by the circumferential surface circumferentially alternating with a plurality of non-engaging surface portions defined by the circumferential surface, each lumen-engaging surface portion radially spaced from the longitudinal axis more than the non-engaging surface portions circumferentially adjacent thereto.