Abstract: A device for occlusion of blood vessels and hemorrhage control, whose design it allows to control the force of application of the blood vessel that is intended to be occluded and during its placement, applies always the same force, regardless of the diameter of the blood vessel to be occluded and/or the dimensions of the tissue that surrounds it.

Abstract: Methods of using the device for conducting business transactions are also included. An impedance spectroscopy system for monitoring ischemic mucosal damage in hollow viscous organs comprises a sensor catheter and an impedance spectrometer for electrically driving the catheter to obtain a complex tissue impedance spectrum. Once the catheter is in place in one of a patient's hollow viscous organs, the impedance spectrometer obtains the complex impedance spectrum by causing two electrodes in the tip of the catheter to inject a current into the mucosal tissue at different frequencies, while two other electrodes measure the resulting voltages. A pattern recognition system is then used to analyze the complex impedance spectrum and to quantify the severity of the mucosal injury. Alternatively, the complex impedance spectrum can be appropriately plotted against the spectrum of normal tissue, allowing for a visual comparison by trained personnel.

Abstract: Methods of using the device for conducting business transactions are also included. An impedance spectroscopy system for monitoring ischemic mucosal damage in hollow viscous organs comprises a sensor catheter and an impedance spectrometer for electrically driving the catheter to obtain a complex tissue impedance spectrum. Once the catheter is in place in one of a patient's hollow viscous organs, the impedance spectrometer obtains the complex impedance spectrum by causing two electrodes in the tip of the catheter to inject a current into the mucosal tissue at different frequencies, while two other electrodes measure the resulting voltages. A pattern recognition system is then used to analyze the complex impedance spectrum and to quantify the severity of the mucosal injury. Alternatively, the complex impedance spectrum can be appropriately plotted against the spectrum of normal tissue, allowing for a visual comparison by trained personnel.

Abstract: Impedance spectroscopy has been proposed as a method of monitoring mucosal injury due to hypoperfusion and ischemia in the critically ill. The invention includes an algorithm developed to calculate the characteristic electrical values that best describe human gastric impedance measurements and simplify the information obtained with this method. A database of gastric spectra was obtained from healthy volunteers, cardiovascular surgery and critically ill patients. The gastric spectrum forms two semi circles in the complex domain, divided into low frequency (F<10 kHz) and high frequency (F>10 kHz). A fitting algorithm was developed based on the Cole model, and central characteristic parameters were calculated. The parameters were validated using the normalized mean squared error and 0.7% of the spectra were discarded.

Abstract: Alternate embodiments of an impedance spectroscopy method are disclosed for monitoring ischemic mucosal damage in hollow viscous organs. In each embodiment, a sensor catheter is placed inside a patient's hollow viscous organ. Afterwards, the catheter is electrically driven to obtain a complex impedance spectrum by causing two electrodes in the tip of the catheter to inject a current into the mucosal tissue at different frequencies, while two other electrodes measure the resulting voltages. A pattern recognition system is then used to analyze the complex impedance spectrum and to quantify the severity of the mucosal injury. Alternatively, the complex impedance spectrum can be appropriately plotted against the spectrum of normal tissue, allowing for a visual comparison by trained personnel.

Abstract: A vaporizer and cartridge system are disclosed. The vaporizer may be considered a universal vaporizer in that the vaporizer may use several different liquid anesthetic materials rather than just one. The cartridges may be single-use cartridges that are disposed after use rather than refilled by an end user. The cartridges may have one or more memory devices within the cartridge so that information about the cartridge may be communicated to the vaporizer such as the type of liquid anesthetic material carried by this cartridge. The vaporizer/cartridge system may be implemented to allow the vaporizer to update information in the cartridge memory such as the amount of liquid anesthetic material that was consumed during a particular session of use of the cartridge. The vaporizer may maintain a virtual logbook with information about the operation of the vaporizer.

Abstract: A device for locating an epidural space. The device includes a connector for forming a hermetically sealed connection with a needle. An air vessel is formed by an air tank, a diaphragm, and a space in the needle when the needle is attached to the connector. The device includes a pressure sensor configured to detect the air pressure in the air vessel. An actuator is coupled to a switch and positioned adjacent to the diaphragm to compress the diaphragm when the switch is actuated by a user causing a reduction in volume in the air vessel. A circuit coupled to the pressure sensor and to an alarm detects a signal indicative of the air pressure sensed by the pressure sensor. The circuit compares the signal to a threshold and outputs a first state to the alarm when the pressure is above the threshold, and outputs a second state to the alarm when the pressure falls below the threshold.

Abstract: A spectrometer for measuring the complex impedance spectrum of tissue comprises: a multi-frequency excitation current generator; a demodulation signal generator; two identical amplification/demodulation circuits; an A/D converter; and a microprocessor for signal processing. In use, the current generator excites the tissue sample and a series-connected reference impedance. The voltages generated in the tissue and reference are measured, demodulated, and digitized in parallel using the demodulation signal generator, the two amplification/demodulation circuits, and the A/D converter. Demodulation is done using the same demodulation signal generated at a frequency with a preset difference from the excitation signal, which allows measurements to be made at a low frequency independent of the excitation frequency. The microprocessor then calculates the complex impedance spectrum in relation to the reference signal.

Abstract: Alternate embodiments of an impedance spectroscopy method are disclosed for monitoring ischemic mucosal damage in hollow viscous organs. In each embodiment, a sensor catheter is placed inside a patient's hollow viscous organ. Afterwards, the catheter is electrically driven to obtain a complex impedance spectrum by causing two electrodes in the tip of the catheter to inject a current into the mucosal tissue at different frequencies, while two other electrodes measure the resulting voltages. A pattern recognition system is then used to analyze the complex impedance spectrum and to quantify the severity of the mucosal injury. Alternatively, the complex impedance spectrum can be appropriately plotted against the spectrum of normal tissue, allowing for a visual comparison by trained personnel.

Abstract: An impedance spectroscopy system for monitoring ischemic mucosal damage in hollow viscous organs comprises a sensor catheter and an impedance spectrometer for electrically driving the catheter to obtain a complex tissue impedance spectrum. Once the catheter is in place in one of a patient's hollow viscous organs, the impedance spectrometer obtains the complex impedance spectrum by causing two electrodes in the tip of the catheter to inject a current into the mucosal tissue at different frequencies, while two other electrodes measure the resulting voltages. A pattern recognition system is then used to analyze the complex impedance spectrum and to quantify the severity of the mucosal injury. Alternatively, the complex impedance spectrum can be appropriately plotted against the spectrum of normal tissue, allowing for a visual comparison by trained personnel.

Abstract: An impedance spectroscopy system for monitoring ischemic mucosal damage in hollow viscous organs comprises a sensor catheter and an impedance spectrometer for electrically driving the catheter to obtain a complex tissue impedance spectrum. Once the catheter is in place in one of a patient's hollow viscous organs, the impedance spectrometer obtains the complex impedance spectrum by causing two electrodes in the tip of the catheter to inject a current into the mucosal tissue at different frequencies, while two other electrodes measure the resulting voltages. A pattern recognition system is then used to analyze the complex impedance spectrum and to quantify the severity of the mucosal injury. Alternatively, the complex impedance spectrum can be appropriately plotted against the spectrum of normal tissue, allowing for a visual comparison by trained personnel.

Abstract: An impedance spectroscopy system for monitoring ischemic mucosal damage in hollow viscous organs comprises a sensor catheter and an impedance spectrometer for electrically driving the catheter to obtain a complex tissue impedance spectrum. Once the catheter is in place in one of a patient's hollow viscous organs, the impedance spectrometer obtains the complex impedance spectrum by causing two electrodes in the tip of the catheter to inject a current into the mucosal tissue at different frequencies, while two other electrodes measure the resulting voltages. A pattern recognition system is then used to analyze the complex impedance spectrum and to quantify the severity of the mucosal injury. Alternatively, the complex impedance spectrum can be appropriately plotted against the spectrum of normal tissue, allowing for a visual comparison by trained personnel.