![]() Market Requirement:Multi-lumen catheters are used in a multitude of minimally invasive clinical procedures.
This type of catheter has a single tube with multiple internal pathways/lumens (tubes within a tube) isolated from one another. It permits external access of media to each lumen individually, typically without cross-contact with any other pathway inside the catheter. Often these are used for exchange of blood or to permit drug/solution delivery within the vasculature of the patient. Most catheters are tested after final assembly: they are tipped and have skived holes cut radially on the outside diameter of the multi-lumen shaft at the distal end of the catheter. Others are tested prior to finishing when untipped and before any skived holes have been cut. Leak testing either configuration requires a two-step process to first find leaks and then determine whether there are blockages. This application note provides an example of a test process to achieve 100% testing of parts in production.
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