Abstract: An improved infusion device is of the type which can be implanted for drug delivery within a patient's body, and supplied with infusate without the need for surgical removal. The infusion device has a housing forming a chamber and an entry port into the chamber. The entry port is closed by a septum. The septum has a convex top section extending from the housing, and a frusto-conical section which matingly engages a similarly shaped interior surface of the housing. The interior surface can be provided with a plurality of notches with which the septum engages by material flexure. This arrangement improves retention of the septum and operation of the infusion device, and permits advances in the method by which such devices are manufactured.

Abstract: Implantable infusion apparatus includes a housing with an inlet passage extending into the housing at a pronounced promontory on the housing wall. The passage has an outer end at the top of the promontory and an inner end defined by a needle stop positioned inside the housing. Self-sealing septa mounted in the passage at selected spacings from the needle stop divide the passage into a plurality of aligned inlet ports each of which has its own fluid outlet. One of the outlets leads to a pumpable infusate reservoir having an outlet conduit connected to a catheter that extends outside the housing; another leads directly to the outlet conduit so that while a first fluid is being pumped from the reservoir to the catheter, a second fluid can be introduced into the other inlet port for mixing with the first fluid flowing to the catheter. Several different infusate flow configurations are also disclosed.

Abstract: A slit valve medical catheter includes a flexible tube the distal end of which is closed. A length of resilient tubing is mounted coaxially to the distal end segment of the tube so that the tubing extends along the inside or outside surface of the tube. The tubing is slitted lengthwise and an aperture is formed in the tube wall directly opposite each slit with the aperture being wider than the slit so that portions of the tubing wall on opposite sides of each slit overhang the sides of the corresponding aperture.

Abstract: A dual access infusion or monitoring system comprises implantable apparatus and an injection needle. This system enables one to introduce into or withdraw from the apparatus, after it is implanted, a plurality of fluids simultaneously with only a single penetration of the patient's skin. The implantable apparatus includes a sealed housing with an inlet passage extending into the housing which passage has an outer end adjacent to the housing surface and an inner end located inside the housing. A needle stop is positioned at the inner end of that passage and self-sealing septa are mounted at different locations along the passage at selected spacings from the needle stop so as to divide the passage into aligned compartments or segments each of which has its own fluid outlet. The injection needle includes a plurality of lumens, the number of same corresponding to the number of different compartments in the apparatus housing.