A catheter assembly including a foldable internal bolster. According to
one embodiment, the catheter assembly includes a catheter, a first
flexible filament and a second flexible filament. The catheter includes a
tubular body and a pair of flexible legs. The tubular body is a generally
cylindrical member shaped to include a proximal end, a distal end, a
longitudinal lumen, a pair of external notches, a first bore extending
from the proximal end to one of the notches, and a second bore extending
from the proximal end to the other of the notches. Each of the flexible
legs has a fixed end and a free end, the fixed end being integrally
formed on the distal end of the tubular body. One end of the first
filament is fixed to one of the flexible legs, and the opposite end of
the first filament is slidably inserted up through the first bore. One
end of the second filament is fixed to the other of the flexible legs,
and the opposite end of the second filament is slidably inserted up
through the second bore. Consequently, by pulling the filaments up
through their respective bores, the free ends of the legs may be drawn
towards the tubular body to form a pair of loops suitable for use as an
internal bolster.