Abstract: Automatic patient turning and lifting method, system, and apparatus. An exemplary turning and lifting mattress device discloses herein includes a plurality of left and right inflatable turning bladders, a mattress support structure positioned on the bladders and itself including an outer mattress casing including an inner chamber filled with a plurality of particles, at least one contact surface configured to be in contact with a patient during use, wherein the outer mattress casing is configured to be inflated and evacuated such that the outer mattress casing is capable of being shapeable when inflated, and forms a resilient structure configured to hold its shape when evacuated, and wherein, during use, the at least one contact surface conforms to the shape of a body, the plurality of particles displaced from around the body leaving a depression on the at least one contact surface in the shape of the body.

Abstract: Automatic patient turning and lifting method, system, and apparatus. An exemplary turning and lifting mattress device discloses herein includes a plurality of left and right inflatable turning bladders, a mattress support structure positioned on the bladders and itself including an outer mattress casing including an inner chamber filled with a plurality of particles, at least one contact surface configured to be in contact with a patient during use, wherein the outer mattress casing is configured to be inflated and evacuated such that the outer mattress casing is capable of being shapeable when inflated, and forms a resilient structure configured to hold its shape when evacuated, and wherein, during use, the at least one contact surface conforms to the shape of a body, the plurality of particles displaced from around the body leaving a depression on the at least one contact surface in the shape of the body.

Abstract: Novel tools and techniques are provided for implementing automatically turning and lifting patients to prevent or treat wounds caused by patient immobility, including, for example, decubitus ulcers, more commonly known as bedsores. A patient turning and lifting device may comfortably and securely bracket the torso of the patient, with the use of a support structure, without bracketing of the patient's arms. In some embodiments, the device may be configured to imitate the movements of a healthy person during sleep. The device may do so by slowly and gently rolling the patient from side to side, according to one or more predetermined sequences of inflation and deflation of inflatable turning bladders positioned below the support structure, thus keeping the patient from remaining in one position for too long. The one or more predetermined sequences may be selected or modified based on sensors monitoring the device and/or patient.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for percutaneously accessing an implanted port using an access tube which is periodically introduced to the implanted port. The apparatus is preferably an implantable port having a pressure-responsive valve element. It has been found that repeated passage of the access tube through the same tissue tract to the implantable port reduces patient trauma, with minimized bleeding and reduction in sensitivity. The tract may be initially formed by percutaneously placing a penetrating element through intact skin to the port and leaving the element in place for a time sufficient to created the tract.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and kits are provided for performing peritoneal dialysis. In a first aspect, subcutaneous and transcutaneous systems are described for performing continuously cycling peritoneal dialysis. In a second aspect, fully implanted systems are described for performing flow-through peritoneal dialysis.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an improved process for the preparation of 6-amino penicillanic acid (6-APA) from a fermentatively produced N-substituted penicillin comprising the steps of extraction of the N-substituted penicillin compound as present in a fermentation broth or fluid to an organic solvent, back extraction of the N-substituted penicillin compound to water, treatment of the aqueous phase with a penicillin acylase and isolation of the 6-APA from the thus-obtained conversion solution by crystallization. Further improvements comprise extraction of the side chain to an organic solvent and isolation of 6-APA from the thus-obtained aqueous phase using a specific crystallization process.

Abstract: An x-ray imaging system provides automatic adjustment of x-ray tube voltage and current as deduced from two exposures at different voltages. Real-time image distortion removal and image rotation are accomplished by computer processing using a generalized image transformation polynomial. Scatter in the image is reduced by calculating a scatter map based on a blurring of the received image and normalizing the scatter map to point scatter measurements made with an x-ray occluder eliminating direct exposure of certain areas of the image. Improved signal to noise ratio in a moving x-ray image is provided by averaging stationary portions of the image over a longer time than the moving portions of the image. A non-linear white compression function further reduced image noise by transforming the raw image to a gray scale having equal noise intervals.

Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and kits are provided for performing peritoneal dialysis. In a first aspect, subcutaneous and transcutaneous systems are described for performing continuously cycling peritoneal dialysis. In a second aspect, fully implanted systems are described for performing flow-through peritoneal dialysis.

Abstract: An x-ray imaging system provides automatic adjustment of x-ray tube voltage and current based on an identification and removal of background pixels in the image and a calculation of the functional relationship between voltage and current and dose for the particular imaged object as deduced from two exposures at different voltages. Real-time image distortion removal and image rotation are accomplished by computer processing using a generalized image transformation polynomial. Scatter in the image is reduced by calculating a scatter map based on a blurring of the received image and normalizing the scatter map to point scatter measurements made with an x-ray occluder eliminating direct exposure of certain areas of the image. Improved signal to noise ratio in a moving x-ray image is provided by averaging stationary portions of the image over a longer time than the moving portions of the image.