Abstract: A medication delivery device, such as a pen-type injector, jet injector, medication pump, inhaler, spray or the like has a microprocessor coupled to the device that records the date, the time, and the amount of each medication administration. The microprocessor may also be coupled to a display to indicate the amount of medication to be administered. The medication delivery device can also be coupled with a blood characteristic monitor to analyze characteristics of the blood. This provides a single, all-in-one device that performs a variety of functions, and requires only a minimum of space. The medication delivery device may also use a disposable needle that substantially eliminates or reduces bleeding from an opening in the skin at the injection site.

Abstract: A water vapor permeable dressing, such as a surgical dressing, is constructed of a thin elastomeric transparent film which is protected by a layer of non-woven fabric, such as a material of elastomeric filaments. The fabric is sufficiently thin, elastic and fluffy to absorb stress of abrasive objects so as to protect the underlying film. Both the film and the protective fabric are sufficiently thin and compliant to allow the dressing to conform to the contours of the human body. Adhesive used in the dressing, for securing the film to a person's skin, as well as for securing the fabric to the film, are permeable to water vapor. The film and the adhesives are impermeable to liquid water, thereby to provide an effective shield for a wound against infection by outside bacteria. A release sheet is employed for protecting a layer of adhesive on the film.

Abstract: A needle electrode for use with all types of neurological monitoring equipment. The needle electrode includes a needle portion located at the distal end of the needle electrode. The needle portion is inserted into a patient's muscle to the desired depth in order to perform electromyographic examinations. A shank located at the proximal end of the needle electrode is used to connect the needle electrode to a needle electrode holder and then to monitoring equipment. The needle electrode includes a mid-section located between the needle portion and the shank to regulate the depth to which the needle portion penetrates the patient's muscle, and the depth to which the shank is inserted into a needle electrode holder. The mid-section also maintains the needle electrode holder a specified distance away from the patient's skin to help prevent the needle electrode from being contaminated by the patient's bodily fluids.

Abstract: Protective underwear made of air-tight polyurethane-coated nylon (10) with elastic sewn around the waist (12) and around the bifurcated legs (14a, 14b). An exit hole (24) for the flatus is cut from the back, near the bottom, of the underwear. The exit hole is covered with a pocket (16a, 16b) made of porous fabric, and designed in the same shape as the exit hole (24), only larger. The bottom layer of the pocket (16b) is sewn (22) around the edge of the exit hole (24) connecting it to the underwear. The top layer (16a) is sewn (20) around the edge of the bottom layer (16b) and onto the underwear, except at the top, leaving the pocket opening. The pocket opening is kept closed by a fastener. The replaceable filter is large all around than the exit hole (24), but smaller all around than the pocket (16). The top and bottom layers are of wool felt (26a, 26b); and both layers are cut larger than all other layers to facilitate sewing (28).

Abstract: A urethral catheter designed to employ the principle of urethral irrigation with the patient's own urine to combat rising infection. This irrigation is achieved by having the section of the catheter which lies in the urethra equipped with windows which are arranged so that large surface areas of the urethral mucous membranes are irrigated by urine. Through judicious positioning of a mandrin in the catheter's lumen one can achieve a forced flow of urine through these windows and between the catheter and the urethral mucous membranes, the flow returning through further windows into the hollow interior of the mandrin and proceeding out of the body to a drainage system.

Abstract: An epidural catheter with a patient end that forms a coil in its natural state, either in the plane of the length of the catheter or helically, so that, when inserted in the epidural space, the coil projects into the epidural space to ensure adequate retention but still ensuring that anaesthetic fluid emerges from side openings in the coil close to the point of insertion.

Abstract: A luer connector is provided with a tactile and audible torque indicator. The indicator comprises a detent incorporated between the female cylindrical component of the luer connector and a rotatable collar mounted thereon. As the collar is turned in a clockwise direction, the collar is impeded by the detent formed by opposingly projecting protuberances between the inside of the collar and the outside of the female cylindrical luer component. As the threaded luer connection is tightened, requiring additional torque to tighten it further, the additional torque overcomes the resistance of the detent, allowing the collar protuberance to slip past the cylinder protuberance. The female luer component may also be provided with a color patch or pattern, to indicate by its rotation, when the detent has been overcome, that the luer connection has been appropriately tightened.

Abstract: A device is proposed for inserting hemostatic material through a tissue channel and against the outside wall of a blood vessel of a patient, wherein the blood vessel wall has a puncture therein adjacent the tissue channel. The device includes a charge of hemostatic material and a hollow sheath adapted to pass through the tissue channel, the sheath having a cross sectional profile larger than the puncture. The device places the hemostatic material in the hollow sheath and advances the hemostatic material through the sheath to the outside of the vessel wall around the puncture.

Abstract: A stroke length regulating apparatus for use with plunging dispensers such as syringes includes a device for compressing the plunging dispenser consisting of a pair of supports movable relative to one another, a device for arresting relative displacement of the pair of supports at a selected end point which includes a threaded metering rod fixed near one end thereof to one of the supports, an elastically deformable nut having internal threads threadably engagable with the threaded metering rod along the length thereof, and a device for permitting temporary elastic deformation of the elastic deformable nut so as to disengage threads on the elastically deformable nut from threads on the metering rod, whereby to permit free movement of tile pair of supports relative to one another for stroke length adjustment of the dispenser.

Abstract: An improved gastrostomy tube comprising a main conduit having a slanted outlet port at a lower end. A balloon is affixed to the lower end of the main conduit and about the slanted outlet port. A valve stem is connected at an angle to an upper end of the main conduit. A one-way valve is affixed to an upper end of the valve stem. An elongated filler pipe extends from the one-way valve through the valve stem and down through a wall of said main conduit into the balloon. A fluid, such as a saline solution/air, can be forced through the one-way valve and the elongated filler pipe, to inflate the balloon into a kidney shape, thereby making it easier and safer to insert the lower end of the main conduit through an opening in a stomach from an opening in an external surface of a body of a person.

Abstract: Methods for conducting controlled environment electrotransport are described. The methods generally concern control of the ionic environment of the active electrode reservoir, in an electrotransport system. This control may be utilized, for example, to maintain a constant extraneous ion presence, such as pH. It may also be applied in a preferred manner to maintain selected control over the delivery rate of a target species, in time, in the presence of extraneous ions. Apparatus usable to provide for controlled environment electrotransport are also described. In general the apparatus comprises an electrotransport system including an active electrode reservoir having therein both a primary electrode arrangement and a secondary electrode arrangement, with a control arrangement for selected operation of both.

Abstract: An esophageal intubation detector with an indicator is used to determine whether the hollow tip of an endotracheal tube is in the esophagus or trachea of a patient. In a preferred embodiment, the esophageal intubation detector includes a syringe (or a bulb) connected to the endotracheal tube through an adapter to which the indicator is connected. The bulb may be associated with a resuscitator bag. A clinician places the endotracheal tube into, for example, a patient's mouth and throat. The esophageal intubation detector is connected to the endotracheal tube creating a system. The system volume increases through retraction of a syringe plunger or self-inflation of a depressed bulb. If the tube tip is in the esophagus, the tube tip will become occluded with the walls of the esophagus as the system volume increases, causing the system pressure to decrease and causing activation of the indicator, implying that the endotracheal tube is in the esophagus.

Abstract: A valve assembly including an enlarged compression chamber having a shoulder leading to a smaller passage. A tubular seal is housed within the compression chamber and has a distal end face with an annular tongue distally projecting therefrom and interlocking with a receiving groove on the shoulder of the compression chamber. The tubular seal also has a proximal end face with an annular second tongue proximally projecting therefrom and interlocking with a second receiving groove positioned at the distal end of a tubular shaft. The tubular shaft advances within the compression chamber to compress the seal so as to selectively constrict and block the passage through the seal.

Abstract: A steerable catheter comprising a flexible elongate tubular member having proximal and distal extremity. A handle is secured to the proximal extremity tubular member said a lumen extending therethrough. A mandrel is slidably mounted in the lumen and extends into the distal extremity. A mechanism extends through the tubular member for causing bending of the distal extremity with respect to the mandrel disposed therein.

Abstract: A medical device is herein described for provision of a pressurized fluid through interchangeable probes. In the preferred embodiment of this medical device, the interchangeable probes are mounted to a handset having a quick disconnect/reconnect mount which not only permits rapid attachment and removal of such probes to the handset, but also the freedom of change in orientation of the probe relative to the handset to accommodate variable condition/requirements of an operative procedure and clinician preferences. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, quick disconnect/reconnect mount of this invention permits rotational movements of the probe tip while preserving sealing engagement thereof to the handset.

Abstract: A safety hypodermic needle and shielding device has a spring-loaded safety shield (1) with a one-way locking device (18, 21) which prevents return travel of the safety shield in a direction towards a syringe (3). This prevents exposure of a needle point (15) that has been used. A preferred one-way locking device is a pivot plate (18) positioned in the shielding device with the syringe-needle cannula shaft (2) extended through a locking orifice (20) in the pivot plate. For low-angle use of the syringe, a spring for spring-loading the shielding device is at least one leaf spring (17 or 17a) having expansion in a plane parallel to the syringe-needle shaft. A cannula sheath (14) has a cannula skirt (13) that is positioned in locking relationship to a quick-release latch (6, 24, 30) as a safety lock prior to use.

Abstract: A portable and hand held syringe filling device, having a frame that forms a curved channel, and one or more bulkheads fixed to the frame, that grip the barrel and flanges of a hypodermic syringe. A double acting air cylinder is fixed to one of the bulkheads, and is positioned within the frame channel, with the moving rod portion fixed to a slider having a thumb plate gripper that grips the thumb plate and plunger of a hypodermic syringe. The amount of air pressure and flow rate of the air pressure is specifically tailored to actuate the double action air cylinder, to provide an exact draw and dispense force on the syringe plunger. An adjustable stop is used to allow the syringe filling device to act as a pump, that delivers metered portions of liquid to target containers.

Abstract: A gas driven apparatus for accelerating particles coated with a genetic material into a target comprises a reservoir for releasably retaining a gas at a sufficiently high pressure to detach the particles from the surface of a sample cartridge and to carry the particles through the apparatus toward the target. When leaving the apparatus, the particles entrained in the gas stream pass through a substantially conical exit nozzle which causes the pattern of distribution of the particles to greatly expand. Methods for using the apparatus and for preparing the sample cartridges are also described.

Abstract: The invention discloses methods for preserving organs in brain-dead humans or cadavers which allows additional time for the organs to remain viable such that they may be harvested for subsequent transplantation. This invention also discloses methods for preserving and/or resuscitating organs in live (nonbrain-dead) patients, allowing for additional time to stabilize the patient's condition. The methods include the steps of instrumentizing (e.g., catheterizing, cannulating, injecting, etc.) the vessels or tissues around the organ, or the organ itself sought to be preserved and/or resuscitated, the body cavity, or cavities of the body, and introducing a temperature-controlled solution to preserve and/or resuscitate the organ(s). The temperature-controlled organ preservation solution includes components such as oxygen carrying agents, antioxidants, tissue damage reversing and protecting agents, carrier vehicles, diluents, nutrients, and anti-coagulating agents.

Abstract: A multi-cartridge dispenser for delivering two liquid medications through a single needle. The dispenser includes independent dual channel metering mechanism, dual channel drive mechanisms, and dual channel lock and pullback mechanisms. The wing must be in its "up" position for metering to take place. The wing reciprocatingly moves a driver between a pre-injection position and a post-injection position to reciprocatingly advance the leadscrews upon an injection stroke. The dosage indicator automatically rotates to its initial zero position upon the injection stroke. The lock and pullback mechanism automatically prevents rotation of the leadscrew upon metering and injection. It also locks out the cartridge retainers so that the retainers can be removed from the housing only while the wing is in its "down" position. The pullback sleeve unloads a pullback key during a cartridge change in order to enable the leadscrew to be spun freely back to its home position.