Abstract: An inserter body with a first end and a first part thereon and a second end and a second part thereon includes at passageway aligned along an axis passing through the body. A catheter is held in fluid tight relation with the passageway in the first part by a collar placed to expand the catheter against the passageway. A pair of wings extend in a plane normal to the axis and are joined to the body for folding toward one another without distorting the fluid tight relation of the catheter and the passageway. Areas of stress relief are positioned where the wings and the first part of the body join. A method provides a stress free juncture between the wings of a catheter inserter and the body so that folding the wings during catheter insertion can not distort the junction between the catheter and the passageway through the body. The method includes forming openings between the body and the wings adjacent the part where the catheter is wedged into fluid tight relation with the body passageway.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for occluding resilient tubing which effectively and conveniently occludes tubing without damage to the tubing, even after repeated clamping. Included in embodiments of the invention are a clamping structure and a protective sleeve formed from a resilient material which is interposed between the tubing to be occluded and the clamp. Also included are structures to prevent the application of the clamp immediately adjacent to the ends of the tubing. Moreover, the clamp can be applied at any one of a plurality of positions along the tube so that no one location along the length of the tube is subject to excessive fatigue. The protective sleeve and the clamp are joined together such that the clamp cannot be applied to the tube without the protective sleeve interposed therebetween. The embodiments of the present invention prevent damage to tubing, such as fragile silicone rubber tubing used in medical applications, even when subjected to repeated clampings.