Abstract: A drug delivery device includes a housing defining a shell comprising a front portion and a rear portion slidably coupled to the front portion, a drug delivery assembly at least partially disposed within the housing, at least one electronic component, a power source which powers the electronic component, and a switch assembly. The switch assembly is adapted to selectively cause the power source to provide power to the at least one electronic component.

Abstract: A drug delivery system is disclosed that includes a drug delivery device having a reservoir and a delivery cannula having a proximal end in fluid communication with the reservoir and a distal end to be received within a patient. The drug delivery system may further include one or more sensors coupled to the drug delivery device, a wireless transmitter, and a controller coupled to the one or more sensors and the wireless transmitter. The controller may be configured to use the one or more sensors to determine a condition or an operational state of the drug delivery device, and control the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit one or more reports representative of the condition or the operational state of the drug delivery device. A method for use with a drug delivery device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A drug injection device (10) including a housing (12) for holding a container (20) having a needle (24) for penetrating skin and a plunger (42) for expelling a drug stored in the container. The device includes visual and/or audible indicators for indicating that the correct depth of needle penetration has been achieved and that drug injection/extrusion has been started and/or completed. The device may further include a label (140) for visually confirming the quality of the drug contained therein. Alternatively, a tray (110) may be provided for receiving the drug injection device, which allows the quality of the drug contained therein to be visually confirmed.

Abstract: A drug delivery system is disclosed that includes a drug delivery device having a reservoir, a delivery cannula having a proximal end in fluid communication with the reservoir and a distal end to be received within a patient, and one or more controllable elements. The drug delivery system may further include one or more sensors coupled to the drug delivery device, and a controller coupled to the one or more sensors and the one or more controllable elements. The controller may be configured to use the one or more sensors to determine a condition or an operational state of the drug delivery device. Furthermore, the controller may be configured to control the controllable element based on the condition or the operational state of the drug delivery device and/or identity information stored in a memory onboard the device. A method for use with a drug delivery device is also disclosed.

Abstract: Embodiments of invention are directed to tissue approximation instruments that may be delivered to the body of a patient during minimally invasive or other surgical procedures. In one group of embodiments, the instrument has an elongated configuration with two sets of expandable wings that each have spreadable wings that can be made to expand when located on opposite sides of a distal tissue region and a proximal tissue region and can then be made to move toward one another to bring the two tissue regions into a more proximate position. The instrument is delivered through a needle or catheter and is controlled by relative movement of a push tube and control wire wherein the control wire can be released from the instrument via rotation in a first direction and can cause release of the approximation device from tissue that it is holding by rotation in the opposite direction.

Abstract: A method for determining predicted failure rates of drug injection devices includes receiving a set of parameters that specify physical properties of (i) a syringe, and (ii) a liquid drug, and (iii) a drug injection device configured to deliver the liquid drug to a patient via the syringe. The method further includes receiving failure rate data that specifies a measured rate of failure of the drug injection device in response to various peak pressures within the syringe, applying the received set of parameters to a kinematic model of the drug injection device to determine a predicted peak pressure within the syringe, including determining the predicted peak pressure as a function of impact velocity of the liquid drug, determining a probability of failure of the drug injection device using (i) the received failure rate data and (ii) the predicted peak pressure, and providing an indication of the determined probability of failure to an output device.

Abstract: A drug injection device (10) including a housing (12) for holding a container (20) having a needle (24) for penetrating skin and a plunger (42) for expelling a drug stored in the container. The device includes visual and/or audible indicators for indicating that the correct depth of needle penetration has been achieved and that drug injection/extrusion has been started and/or completed. The device may further include a label (140) for visually confirming the quality of the drug contained therein. Alternatively, a tray (110) may be provided for receiving the drug injection device, which allows the quality of the drug contained therein to be visually confirmed.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide threaded elements alone, in mating pairs, or in conjunction with other elements. Embodiments of the invention also provide for design and fabrication of such threaded elements without violating minimum feature size design rules or causing other interference issues that may result from the fabrication of such thread elements using a multi-layer multi-material electrochemical fabrication process.

Abstract: A drug delivery system is disclosed that includes a drug delivery device having a reservoir, a delivery cannula having a proximal end in fluid communication with the reservoir and a distal end to be received within a patient, and one or more controllable elements. The drug delivery system may further include one or more sensors coupled to the drug delivery device, and a controller coupled to the one or more sensors and the one or more controllable elements. The controller may be configured to use the one or more sensors to determine a condition or an operational state of the drug delivery device. Furthermore, the controller may be configured to control the controllable element based on the condition or the operational state of the drug delivery device and/or identity information stored in a memory onboard the device. A method for use with a drug delivery device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A drug delivery system is disclosed that includes a drug delivery device having a reservoir and a delivery cannula having a proximal end in fluid communication with the reservoir and a distal end to be received within a patient. The drug delivery system may further include one or more sensors coupled to the drug delivery device, a wireless transmitter, and a controller coupled to the one or more sensors and the wireless transmitter. The controller may be configured to use the one or more sensors to determine a condition or an operational state of the drug delivery device, and control the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit one or more reports representative of the condition or the operational state of the drug delivery device. A method for use with a drug delivery device is also disclosed.

Abstract: An injection device, method, and system for drug delivery includes a container for storing a drug, the container having a stopper movably disposed in the container for expelling the drug; an injection drive mechanism having a plunger for acting on the stopper and an energy source having a first selected potential energy for exerting a force on the plunger to cause the plunger to act on the stopper to expel the drug; and a plunger loading mechanism for substantially preventing the plunger from accelerating to a predetermined velocity before it acts on the stopper. The plunger loading mechanism may be a spring having a second selected potential energy for reducing or eliminating a distance between the plunger and the stopper, prior to the plunger accelerating to the velocity. The second selected potential energy of the spring may be less than the first selected potential energy of the energy source.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for processing sensor data collected by a drug delivery device with an external computing device. The drug delivery device may include a reservoir and a delivery cannula having a proximal end in fluid communication with the reservoir and a distal end to be received within a patient. The drug delivery device may further include one or more sensors configured to generate sensor data representative of a condition and/or operational state of the drug delivery device, and a communication module configured to transmit information to the external computing device. The external computing device may process the information received from the drug delivery device according to information stored in a memory of the external computing device to determine the condition or the operational state of the drug delivery device and/or generate instructional or informational prompts to be displayed to a user or patient.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide threaded elements alone, in mating pairs, or in conjunction with other elements. Embodiments of the invention also provide for design and fabrication of such threaded elements without violating minimum feature size design rules or causing other interference issues that may result from the fabrication of such thread elements using a multi-layer multi-material electrochemical fabrication process.

Abstract: Embodiments of invention involve tissue approximation instruments that may be delivered to the body of a patient during minimally invasive or other surgical procedures. In one group of embodiments, the instrument has an elongated configuration with two sets of expandable wings that each have spreadable wings that can be made to expand when located on opposite sides of a distal tissue region and a proximal tissue region and can then be made to move toward one another to bring the two tissue regions into a more proximate position. The instrument is delivered through a needle or catheter and is controlled by relative movement of a push tube and control wire wherein the control wire can be released from the instrument via rotation in a first direction and can cause release of the approximation device from tissue that it is holding by rotation in the opposite direction.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide threaded elements alone, in mating pairs, or in conjunction with other elements. Embodiments of the invention also provide for design and fabrication of such threaded elements without violating minimum feature size design rules or causing other interference issues that may result from the fabrication of such thread elements using a multi-layer multi-material electrochemical fabrication process.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide threaded elements alone, in mating pairs, or in conjunction with other elements. Embodiments of the invention also provide for design and fabrication of such threaded elements without violating minimum feature size design rules or causing other interference issues that may result from the fabrication of such thread elements using a multi-layer multi-material electrochemical fabrication process.

Abstract: Embodiments of invention are directed to tissue approximation instruments that may be delivered to the body of a patient during minimally invasive or other surgical procedures. In one group of embodiments, the instruments have an elongated configuration with two sets of expandable wings that each have spreadable wings that can be made to expand when located on opposite sides of a distal tissue region and a proximal tissue region and can then be made to move toward one another to bring the two tissue regions into a more proximate position. The instrument is delivered through a needle or catheter and is controlled by relative movement of a push tube and control wire wherein the control wire can be released from the instrument via rotation in a first direction and can cause release of the approximation device from tissue that it is holding by rotation in the opposite direction.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to compliant probe structures for making temporary or permanent contact with electronic circuits and the like. In particular, embodiments are directed to various designs of two-part probe elements, socket-able probes and their mounts. Some embodiments are directed to methods for fabricating such probes and mounts. In some embodiments, for example, probes have slide in mounting structures, twist in mounting structures, mounting structures that include compliant elements, and the like.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods for packaging integrated circuits and/or other electronic components with electrochemically fabricated structures which include conductive interconnection elements. In some embodiments the electrochemically produced structures are fabricated on substrates that include conductive vias while in other embodiments, the substrates are solid blocks of conductive material, or conductive material containing passages that allow the flow of fluid to maintain desired thermal properties of the packaged electronic components.