Patent ID: 7699809

Claim:
A system for positioning a flexible catheter proximate a target nerve or nerve plexus of a subject, the system comprising a catheter needle assembly, the assembly including a catheter having a distal end, a proximal end and a lumen, a nerve stimulator needle, the needle including a shaft positioned within the lumen, the shaft having a diameter less than that of the lumen leaving a clearance space, the needle having a sharp tip, the sharp tip projecting beyond the distal end of the catheter, the system further including a releasable clamp positioned over the catheter, the clamp being in an engaged configuration wherein the clamp is fixed relative to the catheter and compresses the catheter lumen against the needle shaft to fix the catheter and needle shaft against axial displacement relative to one another and to maintain the position of the sharp tip relative to the distal end of the catheter, the engaged configuration clamp being manipulated to advance the sharp tip and distal end of the catheter toward a target nerve or nerve plexus, the clamp being repositionable along the length of the catheter when in a disengaged configuration.