Abstract: An endometrial sampler has an outer catheter and an inner plunger slidable within the catheter. The catheter has a coaxial opening at its tip and two side openings located diametrically opposite one another close to the tip, the side openings being elongate along the axis of the catheter. The tip of the plunger projects into the tip opening to form a smooth surface to the sampler. An O-ring seal on the plunger is located rearwardly of the side openings so that suction is applied to both the side openings and the tip opening when the plunger is pulled rearwardly.

Abstract: A gas discharge lamp has a tubular envelope containing tubular electrodes at opposite ends. An annular support member of a compressible ceramic fiber is supported in a groove around each electrode and is compressed against the inside surface of the envelope. Movement of the electrodes relative to the envelope is damped by the support member.

Abstract: A wc-disposable ostomy bag has walls made of three layers. The central layer is of an alkali-soluble/water-resistant material such as carboxylated acrylic polymer and is about 100.mu. thick. The inner layer, presented to the contents of the bag, is of a water-resistant, ordor-proof material such as polyvinylidene chloride and is between about 2 and 3.mu. thick. The outer layer is a non-woven material such as formed by cellulose fibres in a binder of aqueous polyacrylate, which is broken up when wetted by an alkaline liquid.

Abstract: An electrical connector has a row of metal spring clips mounted on the lower half of its outer shell to the rear of the contact block. Screened cables enter the rear of the connector, each screening sheath being doubled over and trapped between an inner stiffening tube and an outer metal collar. The clips make electrical contact with the screening sheaths via the collars. A clamping member on the upper half of the shell bears on the cables on opposite sides of the clips.

Abstract: An ignition system has a first capacitor connected by a switch to the primary windings of a transformer. The secondary windings of the transformer are connected via a rectifier circuit to a second capacitor. An igniter is connected to the second capacitor by a cable that also has its own capacitance. In use, the combined charge on the second capacitor and the cable is gradually increased each time that the switch is closed and charge on the first capacitor is transferred to the transformer. The charge on the second capacitor and cable keeps increasing until it is sufficient to fire the igniter.

Abstract: A laryngeal mask assembly has a laryngeal mask device with a tube opening into a mask. The assembly includes an obturator inserted along the tube during insertion, with the patient end of the obturator lying adjacent the patient end of the tube so as to prevent the epiglottis entering the tube. The obturator has an air passage extending along its length and a handle projecting rearwardly from a stop, which limits how far the obturator can be inserted in the tube.

Abstract: An ignition system has several charging circuits connected to a common input circuit and controlled by a common triggering unit to fire respective igniters. The input circuit has a voltage source connected across a first capacitor, which provides the output terminals of the source. Each charging circuit has a second capacitor connected in series with one end of an inductance. A tapping of the inductance is connected to an input of the charging circuit via a diode and a thyristor, controlled by the triggering unit. The output of the charging circuit is provided by one electrode of the second capacitor and the opposite end of the inductance.

Abstract: A semiconductor switch die (30) is mounted on one face of a substrate (31) and has a temperature sensor (10) on the opposite face to monitor the temperature in the vicinity of the semiconductor die. A current sensor (4) and voltage sensor (5) supply signals to a processor (15) to calculate power dissipated by the semiconductor device. The processor calculates the temperature of the device itself from the measured temperature and the dissipated power. If this exceeds a preset limit, the switching device is opened to prevent damage.

Abstract: An electrical connector for several screened cables has a transverse metal ground plate formed with rectangular apertures, one for each cable. The conductors in each cable are secured at their ends in contacts and these are supported in rectangular insulating beads. The screen of each cable extends over the bead and is trapped in position within a metal cage secured to the outside of the bead. The cage is a resilient push fit in a respective one of the apertures so that the screens are connected via the cage to the ground plate.

Abstract: A laryngeal mask has a mount at its patient end of elliptical shape supporting an inflatable cuff. The cuff is a hollow extruded tube with an integral attachment flange and has opposite ends receiving two spigots on the mount. The attachment flange is attached to the mount by means of a projecting tooth, which locates in a channel around the mount.

Abstract: A tracheostomy tube assembly has an outer catheter and an inner cannula that is insertable into and removable from the outer catheter. The inner cannula has two elongate regions along its length of different flexibility. The main body of the cannula may be relatively stiff and a narrow region along its length be of a more flexible material, such as extruded to form the entire thickness of the wall of the cannula, so that the cannula is preferentially flexible in the plane of the center line of the narrow region to permit the cannula to be inserted, without kinking or buckling, into the outer catheter.

Abstract: A combined filter and HME has a rectangular housing with an inlet port and an outlet port. A pleated filter element is located in the housing towards the outlet port and an HME element is located towards the inlet port. An oval deflector between the HME element and the inlet port is oriented with its longer axis aligned with the shorter lateral dimension of the housing, so that gas from the inlet is deflected preferentially along the longer lateral dimension of the housing, thereby giving a more evenly distributed gas flow over the surface of the HME element.

Abstract: A laryngeal mask airway has a foam cuff formed on the patient surface of a plate attached at the patient end of a tube. The cuff is of a self-skinning foam so that the skin of the foam forms the outer surface of the cuff and seals with the plate. An air lumen extruded along the tube opens at one end into the interior of the cuff and at the other end connects with an air line. The cuff can be compressed for insertion and removal by applying suction to the air line.

Abstract: A laryngeal mask airway has a tube with a mask portion at its patient end, the tube opening into the center of the mask portion. The mask portion is formed by a mount attached to the tube and by a bag-shape cuff attached to the mount. The mount is formed with two laterally-projecting flaps defining a dumbbell-shape opening to the tube. The flaps deflect the epiglottis during insertion of the airway into the patient but can be deflected by a suction tube, or the like, inserted through the tube.

Abstract: A vaginal speculum has two hinged arms forming jaws at one end, and handles at the opposite end. A locking bar of a soft plastics material is pivotally mounted at one end on one of the handles, its other end projecting through an aperture in the other handle. The aperture has two portions of the aperture of different widths. One portion is wider than the locking bar, so that the bar can slide freely through the aperture to enable the separation of the jaws to be adjusted. The other portion of the aperture is slightly narrower than the locking bar so that the bar can be pushed into this narrower portion at any separation of the jaws to lock the arms in position.

Abstract: A tracheal assembly comprises an endotracheal tube and a tracheal shield. The tracheal shield has a stiff rod extending along the endotracheal tube, and a stop at the machine end of the shield which limits the extent of insertion of the shield into the tube. At its patient end, the shield has a plate or similar shield member that expands when the shield member is inserted beyond the patient end of the tube, to protect the posterior wall of the trachea during a tracheostomy procedure. The shield member can be rolled up or otherwise contracted for insertion and removal along the tube.

Abstract: An electrical connector has an outer metal shell containing a mounting block with columns and rows of mounting apertures. Some of the columns of apertures support electrical sockets; others support a grounding strip. The grounding strip makes connection at either end with the outer shell and has sockets extending in apertures in the block. Cables with two wires in a screening sleeve are connected with the connector by pins mounted at the ends of the wires and the screening sleeve. The pins on the screening sleeve are plugged into sockets on the grounding strip; those on the wires are plugged into sockets in the mounting block on either side of the grounding strip.

Abstract: An hydraulic valve has two outlets and is switchable so that fluid can only be supplied to one outlet at a time. A spool with two seals is slidable in a housing under the action of two proportional solenoids and is urged to a central position by two springs where the seals block passage to both outlets. When the spool is moved in one direction it allows flow to one outlet and also allows flow via a bypass channel to an opposite side of the spool counteracting the force applied by the solenoid so that the force applied to an outlet can be controlled gradually.

Abstract: A laryngeal mask assembly has a mask portion formed by a mount with a plate to which inflatable cuffs are attached on both sides. The plate projects beyond the cuffs to form a non-inflatable leading tip to aid insertion of the assembly into the patient.

Abstract: A laryngeal mask assembly has a mask portion of elliptical shape formed by a mount and an inflatable member attached to the mount. The inflatable member is formed by heat bonding together opposite walls of a flat balloon and at the same time cutting an aperture through the walls, so as to form a central web within an outer inflatable ring. The central web is attached to a concave surface on the forward surface of the mount with the aperture in the web aligned with an opening in the mount.