Abstract: Various improvements to inflatable membranes are disclosed. These improvements include, among other things, features on the membrane that can mitigate hazards such as bubble formation or frictional damage during inflation of the membrane.

Abstract: Various improvements to inflatable membranes are disclosed. These improvements include techniques for advantageously controlling the inflation of a membrane within a cavity, such as a human ear canal.

Abstract: The systems and methods disclosed herein employ a scanning system for capturing highly detailed digital dental models. These models may be used within a dentist's office for a wide array of dental functions including quality control, restoration design, and fitting. These models may also, or instead, be transmitted to dental laboratories that may, alone or in collaboration with the originating dentist or other dental professionals, transform the digital model into a physical realization of a dental hardware item.

Abstract: The attenuation and other optical properties of a medium are exploited to measure a thickness of the medium between a sensor and a target surface. Disclosed herein are various mediums, arrangements of hardware, and processing techniques that can be used to capture these thickness measurements and obtain dynamic three-dimensional images of the target surface in a variety of imaging contexts. This includes general techniques for imaging interior/concave surfaces as well as exterior/convex surfaces, as well as specific adaptations of these techniques to imaging ear canals, human dentition, and so forth.

Abstract: The systems and methods disclosed herein employ a scanning system for capturing highly detailed digital dental models. These models may be used within a dentist's office for a wide array of dental functions including quality control, restoration design, and fitting. These models may also, or instead, be transmitted to dental laboratories that may, alone or in collaboration with the originating dentist or other dental professionals, transform the digital model into a physical realization of a dental hardware item.

Abstract: The invention features an exhalation assist device for adjusting the airway resistance in an exhalation circuit of a medical ventilator. The device includes a set of pressure, airflow and airway sensors, a controlling processor, a user interface, and a ventilatory unit in communication with a medical ventilator. Data relating to pressure within the ventilatory unit and data relating to exhalation airflow, exhalation circuit pressure and exhalation circuit resistance are provided to the controlling processor by the sensors. The controlling processor compares measured and calculated values for airway pressure, airflow, airway resistance and applied negative pressure with desired values that have been entered by a clinician. Based on these calculations, the controlling processor transmits a signal that will change the applied negative pressure applied to the exhalation circuit by the ventilatory unit.

Abstract: The invention features an exhalation assist device for adjusting the airway resistance in an exhalation circuit of a medical ventilator. The device includes a set of pressure, airflow and airway sensors, a controlling processor, a user interface, and a ventilatory unit in communication with a medical ventilator. Data relating to pressure within the ventilatory unit and data relating to exhalation airflow, exhalation circuit pressure and exhalation circuit resistance are provided to the controlling processor by the sensors. The controlling processor compares measured and calculated values for airway pressure, airflow, airway resistance and applied negative pressure with desired values that have been entered by a clinician. Based on these calculations, the controlling processor transmits a signal that will change the applied negative pressure applied to the exhalation circuit by the ventilatory unit.

Abstract: A pneumatic system is provided for a ventilator is provided for controlling inspired and expired patient gas flow during respiratory therapy. The pneumatic system includes a pneumatic circuit for controlling a supply of one or more selected gases to a patient and a disposable patient breathing circuit for isolating exhaled patient gasses from the pneumatic circuit. The pneumatic circuit includes a dual venturi for assisting compression and expansion of a flexible gas reservoir of the patient breathing circuit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing circulatory and respiratory assistance in a patient. The method includes the steps of determining the onset and duration of at least one portion of the cardiac cycle of the patient and increasing the intrathoracic pressure in the patient by introducing a volume of a respiratory gas into the lungs of the patient during the ventricular systolic portion of the cardiac cycle. The method includes reducing the intrathoracic pressure in the patient by extracting, under either subambient or substantially ambient respiratory gas pressure, a portion of the volume of the respiratory gas from the lungs of the patient, beginning during the diastolic portion of the same cardiac cycle.