Abstract: A closure assembly for a vial for a sterile drug comprises a body fitted with a sealable tube that has a seal that hermetically closes it on one end and that is in communication with the inside of the drug vial on the other end. The sterile drug can be reconstituted and/or diluted in an IV solution by means of sterile docking in a closed system. Via the tube on this closure assembly, the vial is connected to a component with a closed sealable tube, such as an IV solution container or a syringe by unsealing and joining the outer ends of the tubes to each other in a sterile docking procedure. If the drug needs reconstitution or dilution, a sterile fluid can first be introduced into the drug vial from the flexible container or from the syringe via the joined ends of the tubes. When the drug is dissolved, the solution can be aspirated to the flexible container or to the syringe. Subsequently, the tube connecting the vial and the component can be sealed and the seal can be cut.

Abstract: A medical tubing sealer has its electrodes extending from a handle in line therewith and one electrode shiftable by a lever transverse to the major dimension of the handle to provide a particularly ergonomic configuration. The lever acts upon the clamping electrode via a leaf spring.

Abstract: The detuning of a tuned network in a sealing head of a device for sealing medical plastic articles is detected and automatically compensated to reduce the overall energy consumption and optimize the sealing process. A secondary capacitor in the tuned network is a variable capacitor controlled by a motor operated by a phase detector to counteract the detuning.

Abstract: A syringe assembly having a syringe has an outlet opening and a tube having an inner end hermetically sealed over the outlet opening and an outer end. Thus any contents of the syringe can flow unimpeded via the outlet into the tube and vice versa. A seal hermetically closes the outer end of the tube. Such a syringe assembly is filled from a medical-liquid-holding container also having an outlet opening provided with a respective such tube whose outer end is similarly sealed. The syringe is filled by first unsealing and joining the outer ends of the tubes to each other in a sterile docking procedure, then aspirating the medicament through the unsealed and joined ends and resealing the tubes together, and finally cutting the tubes apart where they are sealed together to form two new seals on the tube outer ends.

Abstract: A clamp for blocking flow through a flexible hose is formed of a one-piece L-shaped body of rigid material having a short leg formed with a generally circular throughgoing hole through which the hose can pass loosely enough for flow through the tube and a long leg formed with a throughgoing slot narrow enough that when the tube passes through it flow through the tube is blocked. The hole and slot communicate with and open into each other at a corner where the two legs join. The clamp is formed with a generally cylindrical passage forming the circular hole. This passage extends along an axis generally parallel to the long leg of the clamp. The cylindrical passage is formed by a pair of like part-cylindrical surfaces having a common centerline and each in turn formed on a wing-like side part of the clamp.

Abstract: An aseptic solution for IV administration is prepard by thrusting a drug vial over a needle of a connector having a valve provided with a sterilizing air filter. In a first position of the valve, the communication to the IV container is blocked, but the vial is connected to the atmosphere through the sterilizing air filter to allow equalization of the atmospheric pressure with the pressure in the vial. In the second position, the communication with the filter is cutoff and the vial is connected to the IV container to allow IV solution to enter the vial and solution to be transferred between the vial and the IV container. In a final position, the ports of the valve are all blocked to close off the vial in which the sterile air is now trapped so that loss of the IV solution into the vial will be prevented.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for sterile docking of plastic tubes or the like is disclosed in which the tube ends to be joined are sealed by a transverse weld seam and aligned along a common axis. A heating unit is moved between the tube ends at a distance thereto to melt the latter. After retracting the heating unit, the tube ends are urged together. Prior to and during the heating, the tube ends are squeezed behind the weld seam. Immediately after contacting together the tube ends, the squeezing action is discontinued to provide a sterile docking and an opening of the sealed ends.

Abstract: A press for driving a plasma layer and a buffy-coat layer in succession out of a centrifuged whole blood bag which has upper and lower press plates between which a clamping element is displaceable, all juxtaposed with a stationary plate so that after displacement to the lower press plate to drive off plasma and operation of the upper press plate to spread the buffy-coat layer in height, the clamping element can be actuated to clamp off the bag between the buffy-coat layer and the red cell concentrate so that advance of the upper press plate can drive off the buffy-coat layer.