What am I looking at?
Visual recognition
Stiff metal or plastic rod with a bullet tip and a coupling that grips the catheter end.
14-07
Subcutaneous catheter tunneler
Catheter tunneling tool
Three-panel learning framework
Recognition, context, and distinction
What does it do, and where will I see it?
Use & procedural context
Creates the subcutaneous tract through which a tunneled catheter is drawn from the venotomy to a separate skin exit site. Typical contexts include tunneled dialysis catheters, tunneled small-bore lines, and implanted port catheters.
What most clearly distinguishes it from similar devices?
Key distinctions
The tunneler creates the subcutaneous course that separates the venotomy from the external exit or pocket, distinguishing it from the catheter that ultimately occupies that tract.