An integrated catheter assembly includes a housing member, an outer lumen member extending from the housing member, and a needle member slidably or movably coupled to the housing member, wherein the needle member can be extended beyond a first port of the outer lumen member in a first position and concealed in the outer lumen member in a second position. The outer lumen member has a side port between its first and second ports such that when the needle is extended in the first position and inserted into an arteriovenous fistula, blood from the arteriovenous fistula flashes into the needle member, is diverted through a relief port of the needle member out the side port of the outer lumen member for delivery to a dialysis machine. The assembly further includes an inner lumen member that is disposable through the housing member to extend out from the same the outer lumen member to provide dialyzed blood from the machine. The assembly therefore receives and delivers blood through a single injection site.

This disclosure relates to methods and exemplary devices for making needle insertion safer and easier (NISE). This NISE device includes at small needle, cannula, and large needle in a nested assembly to provide less trauma to a target vessel during large needle insertion. The small needle is movable relative to a body of the device and within the cannula to a position exterior the cannula. The cannula is movable within the large needle to a position exterior to the large needle. In a preferred assembly, the cannula is provided with a dulled tip and successive cutting edges along a tapered shape from the narrow dulled tip to the cannula body, such that the cannula blunt tip prevents trauma during insertion while the successive cutting edges generally enlarge the opening for placement of the large needle. The device can be provided in a stand alone device or alternately integrated into existing off the shelf and currently available vascular devices.

Methods and apparatuses for peritoneal catheter placement are disclosed herein. An example method includes using a puncture device to create an access hole to a patient's peritoneal cavity. The puncture device includes a lumen that enables a guidewire to be inserted into the peritoneal cavity. The puncture device is then replaced with a catheter, which is inserted along the guidewire. A surgical seal is next applied to connect the catheter to adjacent patient muscle tissue. After the guidewire is removed, a tunneling device creates a pathway through fat tissue to anchor the catheter. An end of the tunneling device is aligned with an external piercing device to pierce the patient's skin from the outside, creating a catheter exit hole. An end of the catheter is connected to the tunneling device and pulled through the exit hole, thereby enabling the catheter to be connected to peritoneal dialysis tubing for a treatment.

An endoluminal punch and introducer sheath are described wherein the endoluminal punch comprises a guidewire lumen through which a user is capable of placing a guidewire. The endoluminal punch system further comprises a mechanism affixed to the hub which is capable of controlling the axial positioning of the guidewire relative to the endoluminal punch distal end. The control mechanism can be released so that the endoluminal punch can be removed from a patient while retaining the guidewire in place within the patient. The endoluminal punch introducer, including a sheath and dilator, can comprise energy emitting electrodes or transducers for cutting larger size holes in stubborn (friable, scarred, or fibrotic) tissue. In other embodiments, the endoluminal punch can comprise a guidewire or stylet, wherein the guidewire or stylet is capable of emitting energy to cut through tissue.

A catheter assembly may include a catheter adapter. A body of the catheter adapter may include a distal end, a proximal end, and a lumen extending through the distal end and the proximal end. A catheter may extend distally from the distal end of the body. The catheter adapter may include a side port, which may extend outwardly from the body. The catheter assembly may include a valve disposed within the lumen. The valve may include a channel extending through the valve. The catheter assembly may include a cannula fixed within the side port and disposed within the channel. The cannula may include an opening, and the valve may be configured to compress to expose the opening from within the valve.

A catheter assembly includes: an inner and outer needle assembly including: a catheter hub holding the catheter, an inner needle inserted through the catheter and configured to be punctured into a treatment target, an inner needle hub holding the inner needle, and a safety member that is movable together with the catheter hub and configured to advance beyond a needle tip of the inner needle; and a grip that accommodates the inner and outer needle assembly. The grip is configured to accommodate at least a part of the safety member before puncture of the inner needle and until the safety member advances beyond the needle tip, and includes a first member and a second member that are dividable in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the grip.

A device for depositing a solid medicament, having: a cannula (12) having a tip (18) provided at the distal end; and an attachment (20) which receives a proximal region of the cannula and has ridges (24, 26, 28) extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the cannula; and a plunger (16) which is movable progressively inside the cannula and has a handle (38). The handle (38) has rib-like retaining elements which extend in the longitudinal direction of the plunger (16), are spaced apart therefrom and are connected to the plunger in each case using a connecting element which can be severed at least in one of its end regions by interacting with the attachment (20).

A method and device are provided for simultaneously or near-simultaneously diagnosing and treating tension pneumothorax and/or hemothoraxA Veress-type needle portion includes a hollow needle for puncturing the chest wall over a blunt hollow probe biased by one or more springs to extend distally into the pleural cavity. Openings in the blunt hollow probe connect via a pathway to an automatic check valve, which permits the flow of air and/or fluid only in a proximal direction. Pressure from within the pleural cavity is transmitted to the interior surface of a pressure documenter. If pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is present in the pleural cavity, the pressure documenter will be automatically urged proximally to simultaneously allow air and/or fluid to escape from the pleural space through the device, thus treating the tension pneumothorax and/or hemothorax, as well as providing a stable indicator to positively document the diagnosis of increased pressure.

Disclosed herein are guidewires including a distal section, a proximal section and a middle section disposed between the distal section and the proximal section, wherein the middle section has a flexural stiffness that is greater than a flexural stiffness of both of the distal section and the proximal section. The distal section is configured for insertion into a vasculature of a patient. A diameter of the middle section may be greater than a diameter of the distal section. The guidewires may include a tapered distal transition portion disposed between the distal section and the middle section and a solid core wire extending a length of the guidewire, the solid core wire including a first diameter extending along the distal section, a second diameter extending along the proximal section, and a third diameter extending along the middle section, wherein the third diameter is greater than the first and second diameters.

An IV catheter device includes a needle component having an elongated needle with a sharp distal tip and a catheter component having a hollow body through which the needle passes. The IV catheter device further includes an actuatable obturator that is disposed within the needle component and moves between a pre-deployment position and a deployed position. In the deployed position, the actuatable obturator is disposed within an inner lumen of the elongated needle and a blunt distal end of the obturator is located distal to the sharp distal tip so as to blunt the elongated needle.