Abstract: A valve for sealing the hub of a sheath assembly is provided. The valve includes a valve body having a solid thickness extending between a proximal surface and a distal surface. A bisecting slot extends across the proximal surface of the valve body and terminates at a depth less than the thickness of the valve body such that a portion of the valve body distally of the slot defines a bridge extending between opposed halves of the valve body such that the distal surface of the valve body is substantially continuous and a central portion of the proximal surface of the valve body is concave and defines a concave proximal portion.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system for injecting a radioactive product to a patient, wherein the system includes: a first syringe containing the radioactive product, whose plunger cooperates with an injection mass, acting by gravity, associated with deactivatable holding element; a mobile stop arranged to constitute an end-of-travel stop for the retraction of the plunger, as a function of the volume of radioactive product to be injected to the patient; a second syringe containing a rinsing product, whose plunger cooperates with a rinsing mass, acting by gravity, associated with deactivatable holding element; a trigger control element for triggering the injection of the radioactive product to the patient; and a management element including a unit for displacing the mobile stop structure as a function of the prescribed activity to be injected to the patient, and a unit for controlling the deactivatable holding element of the masses.

Abstract: A device configured to administer a medication can comprise a lower housing that includes a housing latch. The device can further comprise a needle guard that is movable relative to the lower housing along a first direction from a first position to a second position so as to expose a needle, and an upper housing supported relative to the lower housing. The upper housing can be configured to move with respect to the lower housing along a second direction from a pre-use position to a dispensed position. The housing latch can releasably interfere with the upper housing when the upper housing is in the pre-use position so as to prevent the upper housing from moving toward the dispensed position, and the movement of the needle guard toward the second position, causes the interference to be removed, thereby allowing the upper housing to move toward the second position.

Abstract: A device and method for intravascular treatment of atherosclerotic plaque prior to balloon angioplasty which microperforates the plaque with small sharp spikes acting as serrations for forming cleavage lines or planes in the plaque. The spikes may also be used to transport medication into the plaque. The plaque preparation treatment enables subsequent angioplasty to be performed at low balloon pressures of about 4 atmospheres or less, reduces dissections, and avoids injury to the arterial wall. The subsequent angioplasty may be performed with a drug-eluting balloon (DEB) or drug-coated balloon (DCB). The pre-angioplasty perforation procedure enables more drug to be absorbed during DEB or DCB angioplasty, and makes the need for a stent less likely. Alternatively, any local incidence of plaque dissection after balloon angioplasty may be treated by applying a thin, ring-shaped tack at the dissection site only, rather than applying a stent over the overall plaque site.

Abstract: The invention provides an insufflation apparatus having a housing and a gas generator arranged to be, at least partially, mounted to the housing. The housing includes a gas outlet for delivering gas to a patient and a gas storage chamber arranged to store gas and deliver it to the gas outlet. The gas generator includes a cartridge mount on the housing adapted to receive a gas generating cartridge, the gas generating cartridge containing gas generating material that generates gas that is delivered to the gas storage chamber. The invention also provides alternative insufflation apparatus, a gas cartridge and a method of generating insufflation gas.

Abstract: Surgical systems can include evacuation systems for evacuating smoke, fluid, and/or particulates from a surgical site. A surgical evacuation system can be intelligent and may include one or more sensors for detecting one or more properties of the surgical system, evacuation system, surgical procedure, surgical site, and/or patient tissue, for example.

Abstract: A kit to facilitate creation of and compliance with a personalized injection site rotation plan includes a plurality of disposable injection devices adapted for giving an injection of a medication to a patient in need thereof, each disposable injection device having a permanent, distinctive mark that may be the same as or different from the distinctive mark on other disposable injection devices in the kit; and a plurality of user-defined association tools, wherein for each unique distinctive mark on a disposable injection device, at least one user-defined association tool has a distinctive mark that corresponds to the unique distinctive mark.

Abstract: An insufflator for insufflating a body cavity includes a compressed air vessel and a flow control valve for delivering insufflating air to the cavity through a first trocar. A discharge control valve at an outlet port of a second trocar exhausts insufflating air from the cavity. A pressure sensor on the first trocar monitors cavity pressure, and a microcontroller operates the flow control valve for maintaining a predefined working pressure in the cavity. A foot operated switch is operable by a surgeon for opening and closing the discharge control valve. When the pressure in the cavity drops below the predefined working pressure, the flow control valve increases the insufflating air to the cavity, thereby increasing the insufflating air flow through the cavity for removing undesirable gases. The apparatus and insufflator may also be adapted for removing smoke, nitrogen or other undesirable gases during both cauterisation and cryogenic procedures.

Abstract: Disclosed is a Huber needle assembly that may include an upper body connected to a lower body, the assembly being structured to retain a needle for insertion/extraction of the needle into/from an insertion site. The upper body can statically retain the needle while the lower body may slidably receive the needle. The lower body can further include a catch that engages a tip of the needle and/or misaligns the tip of the needle with a needle aperture of the lower body to place the assembly in a safety-lock position, preventing rebound, needle-stick injury, and/or any type of exposure of the needle tip to an environment outside of the lower body. The assembly can further bias the needle in a direction so as to prevent re-emergence of the needle tip after being withdrawn into the lower body.

Abstract: There is provided a medicinal liquid injection port to be implanted subcutaneously. A housing main body is provided with a medicinal liquid storage portion therein, an opening portion that opens the medicinal liquid storage portion, and a discharge hole that communicates with the medicinal liquid storage portion and configured to be connected with a tube. A septum attached to the opening portion of the housing main body and provided with a puncturable region that can be punctured with a puncture needle. A contrast portion is disposed in the septum over a thickness direction of the septum so as to detect the puncturable region of the septum with the ultrasonic wave. The contrast portion is provided in the septum within a thickness region of the septum and all of the contrast portion is positioned at an inner side of the septum in the thickness direction of the septum.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a drug delivery device. The drug delivery device comprises a dose setting mechanism comprising a spindle and a cartridge holder coupled to the dose setting mechanism. The cartridge holder comprising a cartridge having a movable bung at one end of the cartridge. The cartridge holder must be rotated before a dose may set with the dose setting mechanism.

Abstract: The presently disclosed subject matter provides agents, compositions, and methods for augmenting ablation of a target tissue in a subject in need thereof, for example, using agents that modulate protective and/or reparative cellular processes induced in target tissue by application of ablative energy to the target tissue to sensitize the target tissue to the ablative energy. The presently disclosed subject matter further provides methods for augmenting radiofrequency ablation of cardiac tissue, for example, by applying radiofrequency energy to ablate cardiac tissue in the presence of metallic nanoparticles magnetically guided to the cardiac tissue.

Abstract: In one aspect of the subject invention, a drug delivery device is provided which includes a reservoir for containing a medicament and has a proximal end and a distal end, the medicament including a suspension of solids in a liquid carrier. Further, the drug delivery device includes a needle in fluid communication with the reservoir and having a distal end for injection into a patient, and a proximal end in the reservoir. An accumulation surface is defined at least partially about the needle, distally of the proximal end of the needle. The accumulation surface defines a distally-extending indentation which is sized and shaped to collect, during use, solids that come out of suspension. Advantageously, with the subject invention, the accumulation surface allows for solids to accumulate at a location spaced from the proximal end of the needle, thereby minimizing the possibility of clogging the needle.

Abstract: A catheter for use with an injection apparatus, preferably for rectal irrigation. The catheter has a main body with a funnel-shaped part delimited by an annular funnel wall which tapers into an elongate tubular catheter part delimited by an annular catheter wall. The main body accommodates at least a liquid flow channel and a fluid flow channel and the liquid flow channel is adapted to expel a liquid via at least one injection opening in a free end of the elongate tubular catheter part opposite the funnel-shaped part. An expandable balloon surrounds an elongate fixation section of the elongate tubular catheter part a distance from its free end, and the fluid flow channel is adapted to, via at least one delivery opening provided in the annular catheter wall of the elongate fixation section of the elongate tubular catheter part, deliver a fluid to the expandable balloon.

Abstract: The invention relates to a drug delivery device comprising: a syringe with a body from which a needle extends and an inner sheath; a piston rod comprising a piston and an actuation head, a support sheath for holding the body. It is envisaged that the support sheath and the actuation head comprise corresponding indicators.

Abstract: A balloon catheter is described, having a reinforced, co-axial, duel lumen design. At least one of the lumens is formed of a multilayer, tubular element in which one of the layers functions, in part, to provide radial reinforcement to the tubular element.

Abstract: A body cavity irrigation and drainage system and a related method. The body cavity irrigation and drainage system may include two pigtail catheters that are coupled together so that when in a use state the tail portions of the two pigtail catheters curl in opposite directions. The two pigtail catheters may be coupled together so that they are maintained in a fixed relative orientation. The system may also include a sheath having a cavity within which both of the two pigtail catheters are positioned during an insertion process. The sheath may be a peel-away type sheath such that the sheath can be torn and removed from the body cavity while the two pigtail catheters remain in the body cavity.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a housing, a medicament container and a movable member. The medicament container is movable within the housing between a first position and a second position in response to a force produced by an energy storage member. A proximal end portion of the medicament container includes a flange and has a plunger disposed therein. A first shoulder of the movable member exerts the force on the flange to move the medicament container from the first position to the second position. A portion of the first shoulder deforms when the medicament container is in the second position such that at least a portion of the force is exerted upon the plunger. A second shoulder of the movable member exerts a retraction force on the flange to move the medicament container from the second position towards the first position.

Abstract: An assembly for forming an injection device, comprising: a foot to be placed on a skin; a body comprising at least one needle, the body being movably mounted to the foot for allowing movement of the needle towards the skin, the needle extending out of a second contact surface by a predefined distance for limiting a penetration depth of the needle; first friction means for preventing movement of the body relative to the foot for causing a sudden acceleration; the assembly further comprising second friction means for creating a dynamic friction when the needle is moving towards the skin for keeping the skin stretched.

Abstract: A robotic instrument driver for elongate members includes a first carriage positionable on a bed and beside a patient access site for manipulating a first elongate member, and a second carriage positionable proximate the bed, the second carriage configured to articulate the first elongate member, wherein the second carriage is movable independent from the first carriage.