Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide a self-powered wireless gas sensor system and a method for gas sensing using the system. The system can be used to detect and constantly track a presence of various gases including hydrogen, ozone and/or any hydrocarbon gas, and remotely transmit the sensing signal. The system can include a low power gas sensor that consumes less than about 30 nano-watts of power. As a result, the system can detect the presence of hydrogen at about 10 ppm. The sensor can also provide a fast response time of about 1-2 seconds. In various embodiments, the system can be physically small and packaged with all components assembled as a single compact unit.

Abstract: Locking device that is mounted on an endoscope or the like for selectively securing the position of a guide wire and/or catheter relative to the endoscope or the like. The locking device preferably includes a side wall with an opening therein for receiving the proximal end of a guide wire or catheter. The opening is preferably J-shaped or boot shaped, and has an entry end and a locking end. Once a guide wire or catheter is in a desired position within a body cavity, the portion of the guide wire or catheter that extends outside of the endoscope or the like may be moved into the opening. More particularly, a portion of the guide wire or catheter may be inserted by an operator through the entry end of the opening and into the locking end, wherein the locking end frictionally secures the position of the guide wire or catheter relative to the endoscope or the like.

Abstract: Locking device that is mounted on an endoscope or the like for selectively securing the position of a guide wire and/or catheter relative to the endoscope or the like. The locking device preferably includes a side wall with an opening therein for receiving the proximal end of a guide wire or catheter. The opening is preferably J-shaped or boot shaped, and has an entry end and a locking end. Once a guide wire or catheter is in a desired position within a body cavity, the portion of the guide wire or catheter that extends outside of the endoscope or the like may be moved into the opening. More particularly, a portion of the guide wire or catheter may be inserted by an operator through the entry end of the opening and into the locking end, wherein the locking end frictionally secures the position of the guide wire or catheter relative to the endoscope or the like.

Abstract: The present invention relates to stent structures having improved migration resistance. In particular, the invention relates to mesh stents, such as braided or twisted stent designs, where at least a portion of the stent is folded back over itself to form a multi-layered stent device. Such multi-layered portions provide for migration resistance, among other advantages.

Abstract: A packing sleeve for use with a safety needle that automatically covers a tip of a needle following removal of the needle from a patient includes a generally hollow body having a longitudinal axis and a distal end and an open proximal end. The body surrounds at least a portion of the safety needle and has at least one track having an activation leg and a releasing leg. The at least one track is in sliding engagement with at least one member of the safety needle such that the motion of a portion of the safety needle relative to the body is dictated by a path the at least one member follows along the respective at least one track. The safety needle is in an initial position when the at least one member is proximate a first end of the activation leg and in an intermediate position when the at least one member is proximate a second end of the activation leg.

Abstract: A biaxially textured article includes a substrate, a first buffer layer disposed on the substrate, the first buffer layer having uniaxial crystal texture characterized by out-of-plane texture with no significant in-plane crystallographic texture. A metal comprising second buffer layer is disposed on the first buffer layer, the second buffer layer having a biaxially textured surface. An electronically active layer, such as a superconductor layer, can be disposed on the second buffer film. Ion-beam assisted processes can be used to biaxially texture the surface of the second buffer film after its deposition.

Abstract: A packing sleeve for use with a safety needle that automatically covers a tip of a needle following removal of the needle from a patient includes a generally hollow body having a longitudinal axis and a distal end and an open proximal end. The body surrounds at least a portion of the safety needle and has at least one track having an activation leg and a releasing leg. The at least one track is in sliding engagement with at least one member of the safety needle such that the motion of a portion of the safety needle relative to the body is dictated by a path the at least one member follows along the respective at least one track. The safety needle is in an initial position when the at least one member is proximate a first end of the activation leg and in an intermediate position when the at least one member is proximate a second end of the activation leg.

Abstract: A pen injector includes a vial cartridge and a generally tubular body that surrounds the vial cartridge. A needle shield assembly is removably mounted to a mounting end of the body and includes a hollow needle that has a tip for injecting into a patient. A needle hub at least partially surrounds the hollow needle and a slideable sleeve is slideably mounted on the needle hub. The needle hub has an outer surface which deflects the slideable sleeve as the slideable sleeve slides toward a receiving end of the needle hub and into a retracted position. The slideable sleeve bears resiliently on the outer surface of the needle hub during sliding movement of the slideable sleeve relative to the needle hub toward the retracted position such that a restoring force is generated for urging the slideable sleeve to move toward an injection end of the needle hub and into an extended position in which the tip of the needle is located completely inside of the slideable sleeve.

Abstract: The present embodiments provide for a syringe cartridge system that can be used in combination with multiple couplings and injection systems. The syringe cartridge system can be provided in a vacuum packaging assembly configuration. Alternatively, the syringe cartridge system can be provided with a coupler attached to a safety device, a hypodermic needle, or a Luer adaptor. The syringe cartridge system can also be used in combination with an automatic injector.

Abstract: A tip cap for a syringe that limits contact between the syringe and a needle tip, wherein the needle tip penetrates the tip cap to one of dispense medication out of the syringe and draw medication into of the syringe. The syringe includes a luer cone extending from a barrel of the syringe. The tip cap includes a penetration wall and a generally cylindrical sleeve extending generally perpendicularly from the penetration wall adjacent a periphery of the penetration wall. The cylindrical sleeve includes a radially, inwardly extending locating shoulder on an inner surface that is positioned a predetermined distance from the penetration wall. The locating shoulder engages an end of the luer cone in an operating position. The penetration wall, cylindrical sleeve and luer cone define a receiving space within which the needle tip is positionable.

Abstract: A braided stent having an integral retrieval and/or repositioning loop includes a plurality of wires having first and second ends interbraided in a braided pattern to form a tubular stent having opposed atraumatic first and second open ends with each open end having a circumference; wherein said first and second wires ends are disposed at said second stent open end and said wires are looped at said second stent open end so that none of the first or second wires ends are exposed at the circumference of second stent open end; wherein at least of two of said wires are formed into a repositioning and/or retrieval loop having an elongated portion circumferentially disposed at said first opposed open end; and wherein said reposition and/or retrieval loop comprises two sections which run adjacent to each other prior to crossing to permit grabbing of both sections simultaneously by a practitioner.

Abstract: Locking device that is mounted on an endoscope or the like for selectively securing the position of a guide wire and/or catheter relative to the endoscope or the like. The locking device preferably includes a side wall with an opening therein for receiving the proximal end of a guide wire or catheter. The opening is preferably J-shaped or boot shaped, and has an entry end and a locking end. Once a guide wire or catheter is in a desired position within a body cavity, the portion of the guide wire or catheter that extends outside of the endoscope or the like may be moved into the opening. More particularly, a portion of the guide wire or catheter may be inserted by an operator through the entry end of the opening and into the locking end, wherein the locking end frictionally secures the position of the guide wire or catheter relative to the endoscope or the like.

Abstract: An implantable stent includes a stent retrieval member for repositioning or retrieval of the stent after it has been implanted into a bodily lumen. The stent includes a distensible tubular stent having a tubular structure having a tubular wall defined by an interior surface and an exterior surface and having opposed open ends; and a stent retrieval member comprising an elongate member comprising a generally circular perimetric base and a shaped projection having first and second spaced apart members extending acutely or perpendicularly from the base and connected by an apical portion. Force exerted on the shaped projection causes contraction or expansion of the circular base. The circular base is securably attached to one of the open ends of the stent, and the shaped projection extends longitudinally beyond this open end of the stent.

Abstract: A syringe safety device configured to form a fluid coupling between a sealed vial and a syringe having a barrel for receiving fluid and a luer cone extending from the barrel for dispensing the fluid therethrough. The luer cone has a distal end with a syringe orifice therethrough. A connector includes a vial end and a syringe end. The syringe is removably mountable to the syringe end and the vial is mountable to the vial end. A tip cap is removably mounted to the luer cone of the syringe. The tip cap and the distal end define an open receiving space therebetween. A needle is removably mounted to the connector. The needle includes a needle tip facing toward the syringe in an assembled configuration. The needle tip is positioned in the receiving space when the connector and syringe are positioned in an engaged position.

Abstract: Locking device that is mounted on an endoscope or the like for selectively securing the position of a guide wire and/or catheter relative to the endoscope or the like. The locking device preferably includes a side wall with an opening therein for receiving the proximal end of a guide wire or catheter. The opening is preferably J-shaped or boot shaped, and has an entry end and a locking end. Once a guide wire or catheter is in a desired position within a body cavity, the portion of the guide wire or catheter that extends outside of the endoscope or the like may be moved into the opening. More particularly, a portion of the guide wire or catheter may be inserted by an operator through the entry end of the opening and into the locking end, wherein the locking end frictionally secures the position of the guide wire or catheter relative to the endoscope or the like.

Abstract: An implantable stent includes a plurality of elongate wires braided to form a hollow tubular structure having a tubular wall to define an interior surface and an exterior surface and having opposed open first and second ends, wherein the opposed open first and second ends are atraumatic ends The atraumatic ends of the stent are desirably free of any loose wire ends. The wires include composite wires to enhance visibility of the wires to provide improved external imaging of the wires in the body. The elongate composite wires of the stent may be metallic wires having an outer metallic portion including a first metal, such as nitinol, and an inner metallic core portion including a second metal, which is a radiopaque material, such as gold, barium sulfate, ferritic particles, platinum, platinum-tungsten, palladium, platinum-iridium, rhodium, tantalum or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A syringe device includes a syringe tube having a distal end with a passageway in fluid communication with a cavity thereof. A plunger rod slidingly and sealingly engages within the cavity of the syringe tube. The plunger rod includes at least one aperture in fluid communication with a hollow interior of the plunger rod. A plunger tip is engaged with a distal end of the plunger rod and interacts with an inner surface of the side wall of the syringe tube to separate the cavity into first and second areas. The at least one aperture fluidly connects the hollow interior of the plunger rod and the first area of the syringe tube cavity, such that the generally hollow plunger rod interior allows air to move between an outside of the syringe device and the first area of the cavity during sliding movement of the plunger rod within the syringe tube.

Abstract: A system for intraluminally delivering and deploying stents and other prostheses includes an outer catheter, an inner catheter movable axially relative to the outer catheter, and an anchoring device mounted to a distal end region of the inner catheter. The anchoring device includes one or more control features that interact with a linking structure proximally disposed on the prosthesis, preferably including one or more loops. The control features and loops interact by surface engagement to anchor the prosthesis relative to the inner catheter in a nonfrictional manner, thus to maintain lower axial prosthesis deployment and retraction forces. In one version of the anchor, the control features extend radially outward from a sleeve. In another version, the control features are formed in respective recesses which also receive the loops or other linking structure.

Abstract: A method for making an implantable stent includes the steps of (i) providing a plurality of elongate stent wires; (ii) forming said wires into a hollow tubular structure having opposed first and second open ends; (iii) terminating said wires at the second end; (iv) aligning the wires at the second end into a plurality of mated adjacent wires to define a plurality of abutting regions; (v) welding the mated adjacent wires to one and the other at the abutting regions to define a plurality of welds; and optionally (vi) chemically or electro-chemically removing a portion of the welds. The method may further include the steps of (a) extending at least one of the mated stent wires to provide an extended stent wire; (b) looping the extended stent wire so the extended end abuts a proximal pair of stent wires; and (c) welding the extended and looped wire to the proximal pair of wires.

Abstract: An open frame prosthesis is formed with looped end terminations at its proximal and distal ends. At one end of the prosthesis, the filaments or strands are welded together in pairs to form strand couplings. A plurality of loop segments are connected to the strand couplings, one loop segment for each pair of adjacent strand couplings. In one version of the prosthesis, strands at the opposite end are bent to form looped ends. In another version, loop segments are connected to pairs of strand couplings at both ends of the prosthesis. The loop segments can be connected to the couplings by welding, fusion bonds, or tubes, which are either crimped or heat shrunk.