Catheter with oval or elliptical lumens

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved catheter having one or more lumens therein which are oval, elliptical or oblong shaped.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved catheter which has one or more lumens having a cross sectional shape to minimize the formation of clots or adhesions in the lumen due to the presence of restrictive or non laminar flow areas in the lumen.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved catheter which has one or more lumens having a cross sectional shape to minimize the occurrence of hemolysis due to the presence of restrictive or non laminar flow areas in the lumen.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved catheter having multiple lumens wherein the thickness and strength of the septum and outer walls of the catheter are maximized.
In one form of the present invention, the catheter is a single lumen catheter with a lumen having a generally egg, elliptical, oval or oblong shaped cross section formed by a pair of acute semicircular ends.
The variable wall thickness of the catheter strengthens the outer walls of a circular catheter thereby minimizing the likelihood that the catheter will kink when it is bent or curved.
The outer cross sectional shape of this form of the catheter may assume a variety of desired shapes including circular, elliptical, oval or oblong.
In another form of the present invention, the catheter is a dual lumen catheter having a pair of generally egg, or elliptical shaped lumens.
In this embodiment, the lumens are preferably oppositely oriented to maximize the fluid flow area of each lumen in the catheter while not providing any or at least minimizing the areas of reduced or non laminar fluid flow in the catheter.
As with the prior form of the present invention the lumens are generally formed by a pair of acute semicircular ends and include a septum having an area of increased thickness to minimize septum deflection during use with high velocity fluids