Claims
- 1. A device for the uniform delivery of fluid throughout an anatomical region, comprising an elongated catheter having a plurality of exit holes along a length of said catheter, said exit holes gradually increasing in size along said length of said catheter, wherein the largest of said exit holes is nearer to the distal end of said catheter than the smallest of said exit holes, so that a fluid flowing under pressure within said catheter will flow through substantially all of said exit holes at a substantially equal rate, said catheter being formed from a material that is non-reactive to anatomical systems.
- 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said exit holes are provided throughout the circumference of said catheter.
- 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the smallest of said exit holes has a diameter of at least 0.0002 inches and the largest of said exit holes has a diameter of at most 0.01 inches.
- 4. A method of uniformly delivering fluid throughout an anatomical region, comprising the steps of:
inserting an elongated catheter into said anatomical region, said catheter having a plurality of exit holes along a length of said catheter, said exit holes gradually increasing in size along said length of said catheter, wherein the largest of said exit holes is nearer to the distal end of said catheter than the smallest of said exit holes, said catheter being formed from a material that is non-reactive to anatomical systems; and introducing a fluid under pressure into the proximal end of said catheter, said fluid flowing through said exit holes and entering said anatomical region, said fluid flowing through substantially all of said exit holes at a substantially equal rate.
- 5. A method of manufacturing a device for the uniform delivery of fluid throughout an anatomical region, comprising the steps of:
forming an elongated catheter from a material that is non-reactive to anatomical systems; and providing a plurality of exit holes along a length of said catheter, said exit holes gradually increasing in size along said length of said catheter, wherein the largest of said exit holes is nearer to the distal end of said catheter than the smallest of said exit holes, so that a fluid flowing under pressure within said catheter will flow through substantially all of said exit holes at a substantially equal rate.
- 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said providing step includes providing said exit holes throughout the circumference of said catheter.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/363,228, filed Jul. 19, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09363228 |
Jul 1999 |
US |
Child |
10085169 |
Feb 2002 |
US |