Friday, September 26, 2008

The History of the Catheter


A catheter is a flexible tube inserted into some part of the body that provides a channel for fluid passage or a medical device. Depending on circumstances, a catheter may remove waste fluids from the body after a transurethral resection. The word "catheter" comes from the Greek word for "let down".
Balloon Catheter - Thomas FogartyThomas Fogarty invented the "medical industry standard" balloon embolectomy catheter. Patented in 1963, this inflated balloon extraction technique revolutionized surgical embolectomy procedures. The Foley catheter is a rubber tube with a balloon tip named after it's inventor. After insertion into the bladder via the urethra, the tip is filled using a syringe with sterilized liquid or air, in order to keep the catheter in place. This type of catheter allows for continuous draining of the bladder, important during and after surgery.
Intravenous Catheter Shield - Betty Rozier and Lisa VallinoBetty Rozier and Lisa Vallino, a mother and daughter team, invented an intravenous catheter shield to make the use of IVs in hospitals safer and easier. The computer-mouse shaped, polyethylene shield covers the site on a patient where an intravenous needle has been inserted. The "IV House" prevents the needle from being accidentally dislodged and minimizes its exposure to patient tampering. Betty Rozier and Lisa Vallino received their patent in 1993.
Ingemar Henry LundquistIngemar Henry Lundquist invented the over the wire balloon catheter that is used in the majority of angioplasty procedures in the world. Lundquist received U.S. patent 4332254 for a "system for filling and inflating and deflating a vascular dilating cathether assembly."


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