Abstract: A blood pump 2 comprising: a cartridge 4 having a concave recess 8 therein having a surface, and a flexible membrane 0 covering said recess, the concave recess and flexible membrane forming a pump chamber 12 having an inlet 14 and an outlet 16 wherein: said flexible membrane is movable between a first position, separated from said surface wherein in such position the pump chamber has a maximum volume, and a second position, substantially adjacent said surface such that in said second position the pump chamber has a minimum volume, a pump driver mechanism 18 arranged to interface with the cartridge, said driver operable to move the flexible membrane in a first direction into the recess to, in use, pump blood from the chamber and operable to move the flexible membrane in a second direction away from the recess to, in use, draw blood into said chamber; and wherein the pump driver controls the movement of the flexible membrane in the first direction such that the speed at which it is moving reduces as it approach

Abstract: A pump for a dialysis machine, the pump having a pump chamber and a deformable membrane actuable to pump a fluid from the pump chamber, the pump chamber being substantially conical such that the membrane is actuated to extend into the conical chamber in order to pump the fluid from the chamber.

Abstract: A vascular access monitoring device for monitoring characteristics of a skin piercing vascular access device comprising: an acoustic sensor operable to detect an acoustic emission created by flow through said vascular access device and produce an electrical signal indicative of said emission; electronics processing means for processing and monitoring said electrical signal, and to determine, by identifying a change of characteristic of said signal, the possibility that the vascular access device has become dislodged from its normal working position.

Abstract: A monitoring device (1) is provided for monitoring the presence of a skin piercing vascular access device, for example a needle (4), the monitoring device comprising: a mount having an ultrasonic transmitter and an ultrasonic receiver therein; attachment means (3) for attaching the mount to a patient adjacent a vascular access point such that, in use, a vascular access device (4) entering the patient at the vascular access point, passes underneath a sensing section of the base; control electronics to monitor the signal received at the receiver, and wherein when the vascular access device is underneath said sensing section, ultrasound produced by said transmitter passes through the patient skin and is reflected by the patients body tissues and by the vascular access device (4), and when the vascular access device (4) is not underneath said sensing section, ultrasound produced by said transmitter passes through the patients skin and is reflected by the patients body tissue only, and wherein the control electron

Abstract: A thermo-hydrolysis reactor (1) for producing ammonia-containing gas by heating an aqueous solution of urea is described. The reactor (1) comprises an elongate vessel (2) having a middle tubular section, an enlarged lower section (4) having an inlet (5) for the urea solution, and an enlarged upper section (3) having an outlet (6) therein for the ammonia-containing gas. The reactor (1) is adapted such that, in use, heat transmitted through the walls of the reactor (1) from an external heat source heats the urea solution causing it to hydrolyse producing the ammonia-containing gas.

Abstract: A device 1, capable of being placed in-line in the exhaust conduit of an IC engine upstream of an SCR catalyst, which produces a gaseous hydrolysis product, containing ammonia, which is added to the exhaust gas in a controlled manner to pass therewith through the SCR catalyst to reduce the NOx content of the exhaust gas. The device 1 has an inlet 2 and an outlet 3 for the exhaust gas flowing therethrough and comprises an outer body 4, which forms a pressure barrier, and passing through the outer body 4 is an inner body 5 which comprises a flowpath longitudinally therethrough from the inlet 2 to the outlet 3.