Dual-lumen catheter apparatus and method

摘要

A dual lumen catheter apparatus and method. The apparatus has an elongated catheter body adapted for insertion into a vein or a fluid-containing body cavity of a patient such as the right atrium of a heart. The catheter body has a septum that runs longitudinally through the interior of the catheter body so as to divide the interior of the catheter into a first and a second lumen. The septum is offset from the longitudinal center axis of the catheter so that the cross-sectional area of the two lumens are of different sizes. The first lumen has a cross-sectional size that is relatively large so that a sufficient volumetric flow rate of blood that is to be oxygenated is able to flow by means of gravity drainage through the first lumen whereas the second lumen is smaller but is still sufficiently large so that an essentially equal volumetric flow rate of blood that has been oxygenated can be returned under pressure through the second lumen.