Abstract: A syringe for controlled discharge and collection of fluids. The syringe includes a body having a hollow barrel, a first end with an opening for receiving a piston, and a second end having a nozzle. Flanges protrude from the first end of the body for manual engagement by a user. A piston having a longitudinal shaft is slidably received within the barrel. A first end of the piston has a gasket for slidably engaging the barrel to form a low pressure seal. A ring extends from the second end of the piston and defines a hollow receptacle for engagement by a user's thumb so that the piston may be urged into or withdrawn from the barrel. The ring has a broad flattened segment for supporting the syringe in an inverted position when the ring is placed on a horizontal surface. A tube adapter is provided on a frangible mounting on arms between the ring and piston shaft. A hole is provided in the piston for storing the tube adapter when it is not in use.

Abstract: A clamp for Laprosocopy tubing in surgical procedures. A folded, plastic frame, has a contact adhesive base for non-penetrating affixation to a sterile drape. The foam forms a top and a bottom plate, which are hinged in facing opposition; each contains opposing foam pads for holding, without crimping or crushing, Laprosocopy and other surgical tubing having varying diameters. The plastic frame is sufficiently flexible to form a hinge section, and has a molded-in snap tab closure.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a syringe assembly (48), particularly useful for use with conventional prefilled pharmaceutical cartridge-needle units (46), including a hollow body (4) housing the cartridge-needle unit or other syringe structure. The substantially hollow body and the syringe structure include mating slits (28, 29, 30) and a ring (26) so that the needle (60) can be exposed for I.M. injection use and then withdrawn into the body for safety. The body is configured so that when the user diametrically squeezes the body adjacent the slit(s), the ring disengages the slit(s) due to the deformation of the body which permits the needle tip (62) to be positioned inside, for safety, or outside, for use, of the body. The internal position is also useful for safely injecting a pharmaceutical into an IV port (88).

Abstract: A catheter retainer is disclosed that includes an adhesive pad with projections. The catheter is secured to the pad by being tied to the projections.

Abstract: The invention provides an irrigation and aspiration device for use in laparascopic and other types of surgery. When connected to existing irrigation and suction sources, the device provides fingertip control of the fluid connections between the sources and a tube. The device comprises a valve housing with two valve assemblies inside, mounted and configured to take advantage of the static pressure supplied by the sources for increasing seal integrity of the valves. The internal chambers of the valve housing are also configured such that when one valve is open, the pressure differential across the other valve is increased, further increasing its seal integrity.

Abstract: An "innerless" balloon catheter controls fluid flow past the guide wire at the distal end of the catheter by a combination of flow resistance and a pressure responsive valve. The catheter includes a shaft which carries an inflatable balloon at its distal end. The shaft has a lumen therethrough with the lumen being in fluid communication with the balloon interior for inflating and deflating the balloon via the shaft lumen. The catheter further includes a lumen extension through the balloon, with the lumen extension being in fluid communication with the shaft lumen. A guide wire extends through the shaft lumen and the lumen extension and out the distal end of the balloon. The resistance to fluid flow past the guide wire in the lumen extension is substantially greater than the resistance to fluid flow between the shaft lumen and the balloon interior.

Abstract: A liquid container comprises a container body (2) having an opening (12) and a liquid-containing portion (2a), the container body containing liquid (W) therein; a cap (3) integrally formed with or fixedly connected to the opening after the liquid is charged in the container body, the cap having a base portion (3a) continuous to the opening, a thin-wall portion (3b) continuous to the base portion, a top portion (3c) continuous to the thin-wall portion, and at least one horn plate portion (13) continuous to the top portion, the horn portion radially outwardly extending beyond the diameter of the top portion; a cap opener (5) provided around the cap to be rotatable with respect to the cap, the cap opener having at least one craw plate (15) radially inwardly extending from inner wall of the cap opener to be in contact with the horn plate when the cap opener is rotated, an opening (5d) being made in the cap opener so as to exhaust the liquid (W) therethrough after the thin-wall portion is cut by twisting the cap o

Abstract: A remote cannula removal cartridge syringe comprising a first barrel, a second barrel, an expandable needle hub, and a modified needle hub receiver. The second barrel is concentric with the first barrel and has a retaining pin which slides within a series of grooves of the first barrel. After use of the syringe the second barrel may be protracted causing the engagement and safe separation of the needle hub from the syringe without requiring the operator to recap the syringe or place fingers near the contaminated needle.

Abstract: An innerless dilatation balloon catheter uses a balloon which is longitudinally compliant so that it elongates as it is inflated. The catheter includes a valve which is responsive to elongation of the balloon for effectively blocking fluid flow through a lumen extension through which the guide wire passes. The valve allows the guide wire to move freely when the balloon is deflated.

Abstract: A catheter shaft and catheter are formed by spirally rolling a thin polymeric film about a mandrel into a tubular form and fixing the spirally wound film in the tubular form. Additional elements and films may be incorporated into the spirally wound tube to provide a catheter having varied characteristics and functions.

Abstract: An over-the-wire balloon dilatation catheter has a stainless steel hypotube catheter shaft, an intermediate sleeve section bonded to the shaft and a distal balloon section connected to the sleeve section. The sleeve section is formed from relatively flexible polymer materials and includes an inner core tube which defines a guide wire lumen extending only through a distal portion of the catheter (including its sleeve and balloon sections) to facilitate fast balloon catheter exchanges. A distal end of the hypotube shaft is crimped laterally and the core tube is nested and bonded within the crimp to provide a proximal outlet for the guide wire lumen. The hypotube shaft provides an inflation lumen for the balloon, with the inflation lumen being continued as an annular inflation lumen through the sleeve section where an outer sleeve is bonded about the core tube and extends from the distal end of the hypotube shaft to the balloon section.

Abstract: Apparatus for remotely displaying the inflation pressure within an inflator for inflating a balloon catheter. The apparatus comprises a pressure transducer positioned to sense pressure within the syringe, a transmission unit receiving a pressure signal from the transducer and transmitting by means of infrared light pulse sequences, a pressure message reflective of the pressure signal. A monitor positionable at a distance from the transmission unit receives and decodes the pressure messages, and provides a display thereof. A timer key for initiating the transmission of start/stop clock messages is located on the inflator unit. The monitor further includes a timer responsive to received clock messages, and an elapsed time display.

Abstract: A wire guide construction for medical procedures that involve accessing specific inner body areas without major surgery. The wire guide comprises a mandrel which is a coaxial composite of a thin stainless steel wire radially surrounded by a shape memory alloy, such as a nickel titanium alloy. The mandrel is of a constant diameter over the majority of its length except it is tapered at its distal end to reveal the inner stainless steel wire. A flexible coil of platinum is attached near the distal end of the mandrel and is secured in place when a smoothly rounded tip is welded to the distal tip of the mandrel. The complete wire guide can be coated with a polymer layer, and 70 to 80% of the distal portion of the wire guide can be coated with a hydrophilic polymer to increase lubricity.

Abstract: A balloon catheter comprises a catheter shaft, and first and second balloons carried on the catheter shaft with the second balloon positioned to at least partly overlie and sealingly enclose the first balloon. A lumen is defined by the catheter shaft to communicate between a space located within the first balloon and a proximal end portion of the catheter shaft. The first and second balloons each define holes of a size to permit medication delivered through the lumen to pass outwardly through the perforations of both the first and second balloons. By such an arrangement, medication may be directly delivered over a wide area to tissue without tissue damage.

Abstract: A catheter having a lumen for delivering air and a lumen for delivering fluid, such as water. Each lumen extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the catheter. An opening is formed between the air and fluid lumens adjacent the distal end to allow communication between the lumens to allow mixing of the air and fluid. A syringe having a fluid barrel and an air barrel is connected to the catheter to communicate with the respective fluid and air lumens.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method to protect medical care workers from accidental needle sticks with syringe needles that have been contaminated by blood or other body fluids, such as after use on a patient. The device renders the syringe readily disposable with minimal risk and itself is intended to be discarded in locked configuration with the contaminated syringe. The apparatus is comprised of a hollow cylinder of a hard material. The cylinder is preferably fabricated to have a circular cross-section. The device preferably contains a recess on at least one of the substantially circular ends. Disposed at the lowest portion of the recess is an asterisk aperture comprised of points generated by the intersection of adjoining radially disposed cuts, which cuts radiate outward toward, but not reaching, the periphery of the end which intersects with the cylindrical surface.

Abstract: A continuous spinal anesthesia administering apparatus is disclosed which comprises a polymeric microcatheter with a reinforcing stylet. A method for administering anesthesia to a patient utilizing this apparatus is also disclosed, as is a catheter kit containing this apparatus.

Abstract: A fluid transfer system, including a channel member, adapted for connection between an arterial or venus catheter and an IV fluid administration system. The channel member includes a duct and an access port. An adapter including a recessed needle assembly is provided for mounting to the access port of the channel member. A syringe, IV tubing or an evacuated container may be mounted directly to the channel member via the adapter. Safety is substantially enhanced by recessing the needle assembly of the adapter.

Abstract: A catheter with a balloon characterized by a balloon reinforced with a composite yarn consisting of an elastic yarn and a non-elastic yarn with a larger free length of the non-elastic yarn than that of said elastic yarn. When the catheter is inserted into a blood vessel or taken out on a surgical operation, the balloon is deflated to a small diameter without producing any wrinkle and is stretched by inflation to the same size and the same shape at any time. Therefore, reliability of the balloon catheter in surgical operation is improved and the cut wound in the surgical operation is smaller. Treatment and management after the surgical operation are simple and the time required for recovery is extremely short.

Abstract: A cannula is provided for laparoscopic surgery wherein the cannula comprises a housing and elongated tube with a passageway formed within the housing so that laparoscopic instruments may be passed through the housing and the elongated hollow tube into the abdominal cavity of a patient. A pair of rollers are mounted within the housing, the rollers being spring-urged together to close the passageway through the housing when an instrument is withdrawn. A slidable plate having apertures of different sizes are mounted in the housing with the apertures provided with slitted seals therein to close the passageway through the housing. The varying sized apertures in the slidable plate permit laparoscopic instruments of varying diameters to be used and to maintain an effective seal around the instrument. In another embodiment of the cannula a valve is provided which is closed when the rollers within the housing are in engagement with each other.