Abstract: An implantable rotary blood pump without a shaft seal. The pump includes a rotary element, having a pump impeller on one end. The impeller is specially designed with large, thick blades and tall, narrow blood channels, to minimize hemolysis. The rotary element and the impeller are maintained in radial alignment by respective, passive magnetic bearings. Axial restraint of the rotary element is provided by blood immersed thrust bearings, spaced a slight distance from either end of the rotor. Drive for the rotary element is provided by a structurally integrated, brushless electric motor. A plurality of permanent magnets is arranged in circular fashion within the impeller, constituting a rotor for the motor. The motor's stator includes circular windings of conductive wire, located within the pump housing and concentric with the rotor. With the stator energized, electromagnetic forces between the stator and the motor rotor cause the rotary element and the impeller to rotate.

Abstract: Surgical crimping pliers have operating handles and connected, opposed jaws. The jaws define opposed recesses for carrying and crimping a tubular crimp member, which is preferably of oval configuration for carrying a plurality of multistrand cable sections so that, upon crimping, the cable sections are secured together. A capstan is carried on one of the handles for winding a plurality of cable portions so that tension may be placed on both ends of a cable loop array wound about a bone structure, to provide a predetermined, quantitative tension. Then the cable sections within the crimp are secured together by collapse of the crimp. A multistrand cable is preferably used, which exhibits great advantage over single strand wire, and which carries surgical needles of differing type secured to each end thereof.

Abstract: A trailer/boat is provided which is capable of being towed behind a recreation vehicle or the like, and then prepared without special equipment and launched in a manner capable of receiving the towing vehicle as cargo on the boat. The boat then may be powered and steered from the cab of the vehicle that it carries.

Abstract: An air brush is provided with a handle, a front body, an adjusting screw and a paint regulating needle. The handle, front body and the adjusting screw together define a tubular cavity through which the paint regulating needle is held. One end of the paint regulating needle extends outside of the handle and defines a stop which the adjusting screw cannot pass and its other end extends through the handle and the front body. A spring biases the paint regulating needle forward so that paint cannot flow out of the front body until desired. The adjusting screw can be screwed outwardly from the handle so that it pushes on the stop and pushes the paint regulating needle back, against the pull of the spring. This allows the opening of the paint flow path and the subsequent expulsion of paint from the air brush. Adjustment of the adjusting screw allows the regulation of the amount of paint that flows from the air brush.

Abstract: Blood is circulated through a multiple lumen catheter which connects between a vein of a patient and the blood treatment device. The catheter and the lumens thereof each define distal ends which are positioned within the vein. By this invention, one withdraws blood from the vein through one of the lumens at a flow rate of at least about 200 ml./min. while also inserting blood into the vein through another of said lumens at a similar flow rate. The distal ends of the lumens are longitudinally spaced from each other by no more than about 5 mm. It have been found that the following advantages can be achieved by this method: less clot formation coupled with low direct blood recirculation and longer catheter survival. Also, the catheter works well in either direction of blood flow through the respective lumens.

Abstract: A balloon catheter defines a balloon having a cylindrical outer surface of a diameter essentially no greater than the diameter of the tubular shaft. Additionally, a method is disclosed in which one inserts a catheter into the arterial system of a patient, and increasingly pressurizes a balloon made of work-hardenable material to elastically expand the balloon to such a first pressure that sufficient work-hardening takes place in the expanding balloon to cause the diameter of the balloon to substantially cease its expansion in response to a pressure range increasing from the first pressure. One then terminates the increase of the pressure at that point to cause the catheter to assume a first, predetermined maximum diameter. Catheter balloons can each be expanded to two different, known, work-hardened diameters by this invention.

Abstract: An anvil for use in riveting one element to another element such as belting and a clasp for the belting. The anvil defines at least one aperture, and preferably a plurality thereof, for receiving detachable, rivet-carrying nails, whereby a rivet carried on the nail has an end that faces the anvil. The anvil defines an outer face surrounding the aperture for engaging and shaping the rivet end. The outer face is free of adjacent, upstanding walls beyond the normal diameter of the rivet and outside of and facing the aperture. Accordingly, the rivet end may spread freely outwardly from the aperture as the anvil shapes the rivet end, contrary to the prior art.

Abstract: A balloon catheter comprises a catheter shaft and a plurality of lumens, having a pair of spaced, inflatable balloons carried on the shaft to define an interballoon space between the balloons. Each of the balloons are connected to a separate inflation lumen to permit separate inflation and deflation. A fluid flow lumen extends through the catheter shaft and communicates with the interballoon space. Preferably, a perfusion lumen extends through the catheter shaft and the distal end to permit the shunting of blood past the inflated balloons. The spaced balloons are made of an elastomeric material, and are capable of being inflated to a diameter greater than their length. The catheter may be used by inflating a first catheter balloon to block a blood vessel. One then adds a therapeutic agent to the blood vessel at a position on one side of the first balloon through a flow lumen in the catheter.

Abstract: A pinball game in which an electromagnet is positioned on or below the playfield. A computer-controlled circuit is connected to the electromagnet and is operable to detect and control the pinball in response to changes in the magnetic field of the electromagnet.

Abstract: A crosslink member is provided for connecting a pair of surgical support rods in spaced, typically parallel relation. A first connector has a first recess, typically a bore, for receiving and retaining one of the pair of support rods, while a second connector has a second recess that may also be a bore, and which receives and retains the other of the support rods. The first connector is permanently attached to a crosslink rod that extends from the first connector to the second connector. The second connector has a third recess for receiving and retaining a portion of a crosslink rod. Retainers, such as set screws, are used to hold the two connectors of the crosslink member and the support rods together in a desired position. The third recess is closed by a cap with an interengaging sliding rail system.

Abstract: An intravascular catheter carries a helical reinforcement member embedded within at least a portion of the tubular wall of the catheter. The helical reinforcement member comprises a helical first portion having coils of greater pitch than the pitch of helical coils of a second portion. Preferably, the catheter is for insertion into brain arteries, and comprises a flexible tube having an outer diameter of no more that about 0.05 inch, for example 3 French or smaller. The flexible tube defines outer and inner tubular layers. The inner tubular layer surrounds a catheter lumen and comprises a chemically inert fluorinated polymer such as PTFE. The outer tubular layer comprises at least three longitudinally spaced, connected tubular sections. The sections are of successively increasing flexibility from the proximal toward the distal catheter end.

Abstract: A link for connecting surgical rods to bone comprises a bone connector such as a bone screw or a bone hook, and a head connected to one end of the bone connector. The head defines an outwardly facing first recess for receiving a portion of a surgical rod which extends transversely of the link and occupies the first recess. A cover is proportioned to fit in a position to cover the surgical rod portion occupying the first recess. A hinge member is carried by the cover and head, to permit vertical pivoting retention between the cover and the head on one side of the recess. A closure on the cover and head is provided at a position opposed to the hinge member. Specifically, the closure may comprise aligned holes, plus a set screw to provide locking closure between the cover and head with a surgical rod extending through the first recess.

Abstract: A first catheter surrounds a guidewire, with the first catheter and guidewire each having a distal portion emplaced in the cardiovascular system of a patient. By this invention, the first catheter may be removed without displacing the guidewire. To accomplish this, one may advance an exchange catheter into the patient to a desired position where the exchange catheter completely surrounds the guidewire distal end and, in turn, is surrounded along part of its length by the first catheter. One causes a proximal end portion of the guidewire to project outwardly through a longitudinal slit of the exchange catheter, so that the proximal end of the guidewire may be grasped. By this means the guidewire may be retained in the desired position as the exchange catheter is advanced into its position within the first catheter and surrounding the guidewire. One then withdraws the first catheter from the patient, while causing the exchange catheter to be held relatively stationary.

Abstract: An apparatus for orienting a fastener in a clasping arrangement with a workpiece, the fastener presenting a first leg and a second leg joined by a bight intermediate the first leg and the second leg, comprises a deflector for engaging the first leg and the second leg. The deflector comprises a generally planar surface and a single cavity intersecting the surface in a substantially elliptical opening having a major axis and a minor axis. The cavity has at least a first interior wall and a second interior wall. The first wall slopes from the opening in a first direction toward a depth limit; the second wall slopes from the opening in a second direction toward the depth limit. The depth limit is substantially coincident with one of the first axis and the second axis.

Abstract: An adjustable system for lifting and transferring load containers which comprises a frame, a container lifting device, and a cable attached to the frame and lifting device. A first actuator is provided for raising and lowering the lifting device, which lifting device has a plurality of remotely controllable latches for engaging and disengaging latchable portions of the containers, to permit grasping and lifting of containers by the lifting device. New features of adjustability are provided, to permit the system to lift containers of varying sizes. Also, the lifting device preferably carries an electrically operated location sensing device for sensing and signalling to the operator a proper location of the latches relative to the latchable portions, to permit such latching.

Abstract: A cable winding for retention of bone in surgery having a crimp for retaining the cables together. The crimp has a bore of oval cross section, with its exterior being preferably oval in cross section as well. The cable sections extend through the single bore in side-by-side relation. Outwardly projecting flanges extend from the crimp ends for at least about 120.degree. about the periphery to create a space between the flanges when the flanges rest on bone. This space may be used to receive the crimping jaws during the crimping process so that the crimp does not have to be forced outwardly from the bone during the crimping process. Thus, a more consistent, predetermined tension can be provided to the cable on crimping.

Abstract: A balloon catheter comprising a tube-like basic body with a distal end and a proximal end and a balloon member positioned adjacent the distal end. A first light conductor extends from the proximal end into the balloon member, with the first light conductor having a light-absorbing section adjacent the proximal end and a light-emitting section at a location within the balloon. A second light conductor is connected to and continuous with the first light conductor and forms a continuous light conductor tracing a loop inside the balloon member. The second light conductor is operative to sense light emitted by the light-emitting section of the first light conductor. The second light conductor also has a light-emitting section at a location adjacent the proximal end.

Abstract: A weathering testing machine or the like is provided with improved stabilization of conditions such as temperature and humidity, coupled with more accurate readout from sensors on a moving member in the machine, and other sensors and microprocessors.

Abstract: A flow-through blood treatment device such as a hemodialyzer comprises a housing, a blood inlet, a blood outlet, and at least one membrane in the housing defining a blood flow path between the blood inlet and outlet on one side of the membrane, plus a second flow path defined on the other side of the membrane. At least one of the blood inlet and outlet is connected to blood flow tubing, which blood flow tubing carries a connector spaced from the housing for access to the vascular system of a patient. The blood flow tubing also defines at least one connection site along its length permitting repeated, temporary connection and subsequent disconnection with branch conduits, for connection with sources of additive solutions or measuring devices. Typically, the blood flow tubing is free of permanently attached, flexible branch tubings.