Abstract: A chest tube assembly is constructed and arranged for insertion into the pleural cavity and includes an elongated catheter having a proximal portion and a distal portion. A central lumen extends the length of the catheter and communicates with an open distal end. The catheter is of pre-formed shape such that a longitudinal axis of a distal segment of the distal portion forms an angle of approximately 90.degree. with a longitudinal axis of the proximal portion of the catheter. A trocar is constructed and arranged to be slidably disposed within the central lumen to selectively project from the open distal end of the catheter. The catheter is constructed and arranged such that (1) when the trocar is disposed in the central lumen, the catheter is straightened, thereby aligning the longitudinal axis of the distal segment with the longitudinal axis of the proximal portion, and (2) when the trocar is removed from the distal portion of the catheter, the catheter bends, returning to its pre-formed shape.

Abstract: The present invention is for a remote drug injection device which is suitable for use with a standard hypodermic syringe. The device has a tube which has a front rim and rear rim and a tube axis. The tube has a syringe section having a longitudinal syringe engaging passage configured to grippably engage the syringe. The tube has a plunger section having a plunger passage with a cross section configured to accommodate the plunger. The tube has a rear section having a rear passage. The three tube passages are arranged so that their axis forms the tube axis. A syringe insertion passage passing through the syringe section of the tube is provided. The syringe insertion passage has an axis which intersects the tube axis. A bottom syringe passage opening extends form the front rim of the tube and joins the syringe insertion passage. Similarly, a top syringe passage opening is provided from the syringe insertion passage and extends to the plunger section.

Abstract: An intravascular balloon catheter comprises a catheter body having a proximal end a distal end, and a balloon carried adjacent the distal end. The catheter body defines an inflation lumen which extends along essentially the length of the body proximal to the balloon and which communicates with the interior of the balloon. The catheter body also defines a second lumen having an open, distal end and extending at least most of the length of the body. A first tube, aligned with the second lumen, extends through the balloon and is open at both ends. A portion of the catheter body which defines the second lumen is longitudinally slidable relative to the balloon and the first tube between an advanced position and a retracted position. In the advanced position the second lumen and tube are together to allow advancement of a guidewire through both the second lumen and the first tube.

Abstract: This invention relates to a syringe assembly which includes a housing having a barrel having a forward fluid discharge end; a plunger disposed within said barrel and having a threaded rod extending therefrom; a threaded nut element for engaging said threaded rod for threaded advancement of said plunger relative to said barrel; and a control lever for positively engaging and positively disengaging said threaded nut element with said threaded rod, said control lever having a first arm member connected to said threaded nut element and being pivotably mounted for pivot between an engaged position wherein said first arm member positively engages said threaded nut element with said threaded rod, and a disengaged position wherein said first arm member positively disengages said threaded nut element from said threaded rod.

Abstract: The invention relates to a steering system for a catheter tip. The system includes wire members that extend through a catheter wall that are used to pull a distal portion of the catheter tip causing controlled, predetermined bending at the tip. Anchoring members located near the catheter tip connect the distal end of the catheter with wire members. The steering system also contains control members which are located at a proximal portion of the catheter and are used to control the pull on the wire members. Steering enhancement members are also included in the steering system which facilitate the bending of the catheter wall.

Abstract: An infusion catheter is provided for delivering treatment fluids including medicaments, drugs, pharmaceuticals, cancer treatment agents and the like directly to a location within a living body such as within a vessel or body cavity. Electro-osmotic infusion is carried out by iontophoretic and/or iontohydrokinesis procedures. The infusion catheter includes both an internal electrode and an integral electrode, both of which are components of or closely associated with a distal portion of the catheter itself. When electrically joined to an EMF source, the electrodes are oppositely charged. The treatment fluid or components of the treatment fluid have an electrical charge which is the same as the internal electrode, as a result of which the medicament moves away from the internal electrode and to the body component being treated.

Abstract: A hand-held dual liquid medication injector have dual, bi-directional dosage metering mechanisms for permitting a variable dosage amount for each cartridge of liquid medication. The medications are mixed within a manifold having a valved mixing chamber and are injected via a single cannula. The mixing chamber is valved such that backflow of mixed or unmixed medications into the cartridges is prevented. An injection mechanism, independent of the metering mechanism, loads and injects the liquid medication. In one embodiment, downward movement of the injection mechanism during injection is translated into horizontal movement by the plunger mechanism. In another embodiment, a power-assisted plunger mechanism accomplishes injection.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for high-pressure liquid cutting of organic tissue in which a high-frequency electric signal is superimposed on the liquid cutting jet so that, while the cutting effect is selective, an additional coagulation of small vessels is possible.

Abstract: A single use disposable hypodermic syringe having a hollow elongated barrel portion, a piston and sealing engagement with an axially translatable along the barrel portion, a piston rod secured to the piston and projecting from the rearward end of the barrel portion for use in reciprocating the piston, a walled chamber disposed proximate the forward end of the barrel portion and plug means disposed in the chamber and moveable therein from a rearward position to a forward position in response to liquid being forced against the plug member by the piston. The plug member defines fluid passages therein to allow fluid flow about the plug member and an annular flange which cooperates with the interior surface of the chamber for maintaining the plug member in the rearward position upon air being passed through the fluid passages in response to translation of the piston within the barrel portion.

Abstract: This invention relates to an angioplasty device that is formed from a hollow metallic tube, a balloon affixed adjacent the distal end of the tube and being in fluid communication with the lumen of the tube, a flexible distal segment connected to the distal end of the tube and a removable hub connected adjacent to the proximal end of the tube. The tube is preferably formed from a superelastic material such as nickel-titanium alloy. This invention also relates to various methods of using this angioplasty device.

Abstract: A method and system is described for the noninvasive administration of a therapeutic concentration of a deoxyspergualin compound to a patient comprising iontophoretically passing the deoxyspergualin compound through an area of the skin of the patient at a flux effective to provide the therapeutic concentration.

Abstract: A transfusion device in which a transfusion tube is squeezed by a transfusion pump mechanism so as to feed transfusion solution in the transfusion tube through pressurization, comprising: a first member for setting size of air bubbles to be detected in the transfusion solution, which includes a bubble sensor; a second member for setting a transfusion rate and a transfusion quantity of the transfusion solution; a third member for calculating a pressurization feed rate of the transfusion solution on the basis of the transfusion rate and a cross-sectional area of the transfusion tube; a fourth member for calculating a permissible quantity of the air bubbles mixed into a unit volume of the transfusion solution on the basis of the size of the air bubbles and the transfusion rate; a fifth member for calculating an integrated value of the air bubbles per unit volume of the transfusion solution on the basis of the pressurization feed rate of the transfusion solution and output level of the bubble sensor; a sixth memb

Abstract: A hypodermic jet injector employing self-contained, patient fillable, thin-walled disposable ampules. Each ampule includes an elongate plastic body with an injection orifice at a first end, an internal propellant at a closed second end, and a double piston slidably and sealingly mounted within the body entirely between the orifice and the internal propellant, and also includes an auxiliary access opening in the ampule side wall. An ampule chamber with a corresponding access opening in its side wall is provided to receive and support the thin-walled ampule. The main body of the ampule is molded with draft angles, and the double piston construction includes a soft rubber plunger and a relatively hard plunger to the front and rear, respectively, of the auxiliary access opening in the ampule, with the two plungers interconnected by a connecting rod spanning the central section of the ampule.

Abstract: An improved cathodic iontophoresis electrode assembly (8, 38) is provided having a reducible cathodic electrode (12,22) and a drug reservoir (14, 24) containing an anionic drug. The cathodic electrode (12, 22) is separated from the drug reservoir (14, 24) by means of a layer (30) of a cation exchange material. The cation exchange material is loaded with cations which are able to react with anions produced during reduction of the electrode (12, 22) to form an electrically neutral or substantially insoluble (eg, water insoluble) compound. The cathodic electrode (12, 22) is preferably composed of silver chloride which produces chloride ions during reduction. The cation exchange material is preferably loaded with silver or copper cations which react with the chloride ions to produce a neutral and relatively insoluble metal chloride salt.

Abstract: The infusion system is provided with a control device (10) wherein a plurality of influence factors with different physiological action mechanisms, i.e. a plurality of semantic domains, is considered as fuzzy information in the automatic dosing of drugs and the semantic significance of the individual domains is taken into account. The control device (10) for controlling at least one infusion apparatus (21) comprises a plurality of fuzzy control units (17,19) structured in a hierarchical system. On a first hierarchical levels, all linguistic variables, measurement values and derived values are examined by a semantic analyzer (16) with regard to the significance of their contents for the various semantic domains. In a unit (18) for evaluation of semantic domains, the results of the above examination are passed through a plurality of evaluation stages to draw conclusions on the operation on a second hierarchical level on which each semantic domain is represented by a fuzzy control unit (19) of its own.

Abstract: A process for detecting obstructions in a perfusion line, wherein a programmable syringe pump uses a selected gradient constant and first and second pressure measurements from the perfusion line to determine whether an obstruction has occurred in the perfusion line.

Abstract: An intravenous fiber membrane oxygenator is disclosed in several embodiments wherein the fibers either run at a transverse angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the oxygenator and/or are of a reduced length to optimize the gas transfer efficiency of the oxygenator. Various helical or spiral wraps of fibers are disclosed. One embodiment utilizes two sets of longitudinally extending fibers wherein the oxygen gas is moved in opposite directions from a central location of the oxygenator.

Abstract: A subcutaneous drug delivery device having a driving member for advancing a piston, concentrically enclosed by a cannula, to deliver a drug pellet to a subcutaneous tissue site. The piston has a recessed distal platform upon which the pellet rests for delivery when the distal end of the piston is exposed beyond the cannula.

Abstract: An injection cartridge of the dual-chamber type has a bypass connection between its two chambers which is arranged such that the interior wall of the cartridge is modified in a determined area in such a way that the movable wall between the two chambers does not seal completely against the interior wall in said area.

Abstract: A drug delivery apparatus and method for iontophoretically delivering a drug locally to internal body tissue. The iontophoretic delivery apparatus and method include a current source producing a net flow of current in a desired direction with high frequency waveforms which enhance delivery and minimize side effects typically associated with iontophoresis.The invention contemplates positioning a drug delivery device in a body passageway or within body tissue and then selectively introducing a selected drug so that it is iontophoretically transported across a drug transport wall of the device for direct contact with the passageway wall or body tissue. A further aspect of the present invention involves treating a dilated vessel in the area of a stenotic lesion with a fixative or other drug to render the vessel biologically inert and to form a biological stent or prevent restenosis using specifically selected drugs.