Abstract: A disinfecting and pre-opening device is disclosed for use with a female needleless connector. The disinfecting and pre-opening device includes a housing comprising a chamber having a distal opening and configured to fit over the female needleless connector, and an elongated finger attached to the housing and disposed within the chamber such that the elongated finger opens the fluid path through the female needleless connector when the distal opening of the disinfecting and pre-opening device is placed proximally adjacent to the septum and the disinfecting and pre-opening device is advanced in the distal direction.

Abstract: A method of determining an Antibiotic Utilization Criteria (AUC) marker includes assigning an AUC=1 to a patient if certain criteria are met: (1) antimicrobials were first dispensed to the patient after an initial number of days has passed since the patient's admission to a hospital, and either (2a) the antimicrobials were dispensed to the patient for a determined number of consecutive days after the day of first dispense, or (2b) the antimicrobials were dispensed to the patient on consecutive days after the day of first dispense up to and including the day on which the patient either was discharged or died. If criteria (1) is not satisfied or both of alternate criteria (2a) and (2b) are not satisfied, an AUC=0 is assigned to the patient.

Abstract: A fluid control device for directing fluid flow comprising a needleless access device for transferring fluids and methods of directing fluid flow. The fluid control device may have a first port, a second port, a third port and a connecting portion joining the first, second and third ports. A first valve element may be positioned within the first port and a fluid director may be positioned within the connecting portion. The first valve element may move between an opening position, where fluid may flow past the first valve element, and a closed position, where fluid may be prevented from flowing past the first valve element. The fluid director may have at least one passageway for connecting at least two of the first, second and third ports such that fluid may flow therebetween. An actuation mechanism may be used to orient the fluid director and, consequently, the at least one passageway within the connecting portion.

Abstract: A collapsible valve comprising a first portion with at least one dimple in a side thereof, and a second portion, the second portion being narrower than the first portion and arranged along an axial dimension of the first portion, the second portion including a cut therein.

Abstract: A modular compressor assembly comprises a common motor assembly, an impeller, a blower housing and an engagement mechanism. The common motor assembly includes a stator housing containing a stator assembly and having a rotor magnet rotatably disposed therewithin. The impeller is mounted to and rotatable with the rotor magnet. The blower housing is selectable from among a plurality of blower housings each having a different cross-sectional geometry. The engagement mechanism is formed on the stator housing and/or the blower housing and allows interchangeable mounting of different blower housing configurations to the common motor assembly in order to achieve varying flow characteristics of the compressor assembly.

Abstract: A needleless connector has a housing with an internal cavity having an interior surface, a port, an output flow channel, and a fluid flow path through the cavity between the port and the output flow channel. A collapsible valve is disposed within the cavity. The valve has one or more rings each having a surface that is in sealing contact with the interior surface of the housing. There are one or more notches formed in each of the one or more rings, and the flow path passes through one of the notches in each of the one or more rings.

Abstract: An applicator assembly includes a body having a proximal and a distal end, a container slidably coupled to the body, a valve cap coupled to the container, and an application member attached to the distal end, wherein an interior of the container is placed in fluid communication with the application member by way of a fluid conduit that is only accessible when one of the body and the container are axially translated in an opposite direction away from each other.

Abstract: A dispensing system has a cartridge with a body having a plurality of bins and a plurality of attached lids that cover the respective bins when the lids are closed. The body has an external connector and the lids are opened by receipt of a command signal through the connector. The system also includes a cabinet with a docking location configured to accept a cartridge. The cabinet has a docking connector that connects to the cartridge connector when the cartridge is placed on the docking location. The cabinet also has a controller that sends the command signal through the docking connector to the cartridge to open one or more of the lids.

Abstract: A ventilation mask comprises a corrugated flexible seal, and a plurality of ridges disposed along the corrugated flexible seal. The corrugated flexible seal is configured for establishing a fluid seal between the ventilation mask and a patient, and for allowing facial movements of the patient while maintaining the fluid seal. The plurality of ridges disposed along the corrugated flexible seal is configured for physical contact with the patient.

Abstract: A system and method of managing therapy provided to patients in an institution. The system monitors all aspects of the medication delivery to a patient, as well as other information related to the patient, such as values at vital signs, laboratory results and patient factors such as history, diagnosis, allergies and the like. The system includes one or more databases of information, including institutionally developed rules, guidelines and protocol representing the best medical practices of the institution. The system provides alerts and/or recommendations based on the application of the rules to the information being monitored, and alerts care givers accordingly, providing for dynamic adjustment of the patient's therapy. The system also monitors the status of the alerts, and if no action is taken in a selected period of time, may escalate the priority of the alert and/or halt the delivery of medication to the patient until the alert is resolved.

Abstract: An intravenous infusion tubing fitment comprises a body, a rotatable knob coupled with the body, and a pressure dome seated within the knob. The body defines; a first inlet configured for coupling with a first segment of tubing; a first outlet into a pressure dome; a second inlet from said pressure dome; and a second outlet configured for coupling with a said second segment of tubing. The knob defines an expansion opening within a surface of the. The pressure dome is formed of a flexible elastomeric material and defines a fluid flow path between the first outlet and the second inlet. The pressure dome includes a vane configured to variably regulate flow through the fluid flow path in response to rotation of the knob. The pressure dome is configured to expand through the expansion opening in response to fluid pressure in the fluid flow path.

Abstract: A curable material delivery cannula device and method are disclosed. The device includes a cannula and a hub. The cannula includes an open proximal end, a deflectable segment forming a plurality of pre-set curves, each of which corresponds to a pre-determined temperature of the cannula, a lumen, and side orifice(s) adjacent, and proximally spaced from, the distal end and fluidly connected to the lumen. When distally extended from the guide cannula, and upon being heated to a predetermined temperature (before, during, or after extension), the deflectable segment assumes a curved shape, which may be used to create a void in the bone for receiving curable material. The distal cannula end includes a blunt tip for non-traumatic interface with bodily material. During use, curable material, such as bone cement, is delivered from the side orifice(s) in a radial direction relative to the lumen.

Abstract: A portable ventilator uses a ROOTS-type blower as a compressor to reduce both the size and power consumption of the ventilator. Various functional aspects of the ventilator are delegated to multiple subassemblies having dedicated controllers and software that interact with a ventilator processor to provide user interface functions, exhalation control and flow control servos, and monitoring of patient status. The ventilator overcomes noise problems through the use of noise reducing pressure compensating orifices on the ROOTS-type blower housing and multiple baffling chambers. The ventilator is configured with a highly portable form factor, and may be used as a stand-alone device or as a docked device having a docking cradle with enhanced interface and monitoring capabilities.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a brushless DC (BLDC) motor over a wide range of angular speeds is presented. Analog magnetic sensors provide continuous signal measurements related to the rotor angular position at a sample rate independent of rotor angular speed. In one embodiment, analog signal measurements are subsequently processed using an arctangent function to obtain the rotor angular position. The arctangent may be computed using arithmetic computation, a small angle approximation, a polynomial evaluation approach, a table lookup approach, or a combination of various methods. In one embodiment, the BLDC rotor is used to drive a Roots blower used as a compressor in a portable mechanical ventilator system.

Abstract: An nCPAP device for assisting patient breathing includes a generator body forming an inlet, a chamber, and first and second flow circuits. The chamber directs pressurized gas from the inlet to the flow circuits. The flow circuits each include a nozzle, a channel, and at least one port. The nozzle emits a jet stream into the channel in a direction of a patient side thereof. The port fluidly connects the channel to ambient, and promotes entrainment of ambient air with the jet stream. In some embodiments, the channel forms a ramp feature directing exhaled air toward the jet stream in an angular fashion. The generator body requires reduced driving pressures to achieve target CPAP levels and reduces total imposed WOB as compared to conventional designs.

Abstract: A system and method determine when fluid is not flowing properly from a secondary infusion source during a secondary infusion. The system includes an upstream pressure sensor and a processor programmed to receive signals from the sensor and analyze the signals to determine if secondary fluid flow is proper. The processor samples the output signals from the upstream pressure sensor and analyzes the sampled signals to determine if a pressure rise in the infusion line has occurred when the secondary infusion is initiated. If a pressure rise, indicating that fluid from the secondary container has begun flowing into the infusion line, has not been detected, the processor is programmed to provide a signal indicating that attention should be given to the infusion set up.

Abstract: An intravenous (IV) pump system is disclosed. The IV pump includes a pumping segment and an IV pump. The pumping segment comprises a receptacle configured to hold a medical fluid and an alignment feature attached to the receptacle. The alignment feature comprises one of a magnetic or a magneto-sensitive material. The IV pump includes a housing having a shaped cavity configured to accept the alignment feature of the pumping segment and an attraction element comprising the other of the magnetic or the magneto-sensitive material. The attraction element is configured to attract the alignment feature toward the shaped cavity.

Abstract: A system and method for managing medication orders, including verbal orders and changes to those orders, is described. A server receives mediation orders from a pharmacy and communicates those orders to an infusion pump. The infusion pump communicates status messages to the server and the server compares the status messages to the medication orders to determine if the there were any changes to the order, or if a medication was administered absent a medication order. The server assigns a new order identification number to the status message if needed. The system may also reconcile original medication orders with information associated with a new order identification number and stores the information in the eMAR of a patient.

Abstract: In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, a cabinet is provided. The cabinet includes a plurality of drawer slide receiving modules and a plurality of hanging drawer slides, each hanging drawer slide coupled to one of the plurality of drawer slide receiving modules, and each hanging drawer slide includes a plurality of hooks of a first type. At least one of the hanging drawer slides is configured to be withdrawn from the cabinet laterally along a longest axis of the hanging drawer slide. The plurality of drawer slide receiving modules are configured to be removably coupled to the cabinet in a plurality of different configurations. Methods and configuration systems are also provided.

Abstract: An integrated package is disclosed that is configured for an adhesive dressing having at least one area coated with an adhesive. The integrated package includes first and second packaging elements that, when coupled together, form a sealed volume with the adhesive dressing disposed within the sealed volume. The integrated package has at least one release surface coupled to the first packaging element, wherein a first portion of the release surface is removably coupled to the adhesive of the dressing. When the adhesive dressing is removed from the integrated package, the adhesive of the dressing is exposed without requiring a second step of removing a protective sheet. The release surface may be provided as a coating on the first packaging element or as a surface of a release sheet having an edge captured between the first and second packaging elements.