Vascular access device

Abstract

An access device for placing a medical article within a body space includes a needle, a dilator, and a sheath. The dilator can be coaxially and slideably disposed about the needle, and the sheath can be coaxially and slideably disposed about the dilator. The access device can further include a inner member coaxially disposed between the needle and dilator. The needle can include a fenestration in fluid communication with a space between the needle and inner member. When the needle punctures a blood vessel, the fenestration allows blood to flow into the space between the needle and inner member to provide a visual indicator to a physician or healthcare professional that the needle is in a vessel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An access device for placing a medical article within a body space, the access device comprising:
 a needle comprising a fenestration near a distal end of the needle;   a dilator disposed about the needle, a distal end of the dilator positioned distal to the fenestration; and   a inner member coaxially disposed between the needle and the dilator, a distal end of the inner member positioned distal to the fenestration and proximal to the distal end of the dilator;   wherein a space between an outer diameter of the needle and an inner diameter of the inner member defines a blood flash channel in fluid communication with the fenestration to allow blood to flow from an interior of the needle through the fenestration to the blood flash channel when the needle punctures a blood vessel.