Dialysis catheter

A dialysis catheter is a catheter used for exchanging blood to and from the dialysis machine from the patient. The catheter contains two lumens: venous and arterial. The venous lumen withdraws blood from the patient while the arterial lumen returns blood to the patient. The tip of the catheter is generally placed in the superior vena cava of the heart. Flow rates of dialysis catheters range between 200 to 500 ml/min. There are two categories of dialysis catheters: chronic and acute. Chronic catheters contain a dacron cuff whereas acute catheters do not. The most popular dialysis catheter sold on the market today is the split-tip dialysis catheter. This catheter comprises two free floating tips.