Abstract: A device for raising a patient's upper body off the surface of an underlying support to insert a chest board between the back of the patient and the underlying support is disclosed comprising an adjustable body belt, attached shoulder strap, and associated handle. The belt is fitted around the patient's upper body, encircling the torso and arms. The shoulder strap and handle, with the shoulder strap running from the belt along the patient's back and over the patient's shoulder, provides the handle for grasping and easily raising the patient's upper body off the underlying surface.

Abstract: A device employed by a user for moving or guiding the position of a human wearer comprises first and second body belts with each terminating in first and second end regions. Associated with each body belt is a reversible coupling means, wherein when mated by the coupling means, the first and second first body belt end regions of each body belt form an adjustably sized and reversibly linked structure about the wearer. A central strap is attached to both the first and the second body belts, thereby producing a spacing segment along the central strap between the first and the second body belts. The central strap terminates in first and second end domains, wherein the central strap first end domain includes a variably sized first handle and the central strap second end domain includes a second handle.

Abstract: A device employed by a user for shifting the position of a human wearer comprises an adjustable body belt, attached shoulder strap with an associated handle, and a pair of side handles attached to the belt. The belt is fitted by the user around the wearer's upper body, encircling the torso and arms. The shoulder strap with its associated handle or the side handles on the belt are used to shift the position of the wearer.

Abstract: A hypodermic syringe is rendered non-reusable by means of a special latching device that prevents a portion of the piston from being retracted and that causes that portion to seal off the syringe at the end of it to which the needle is attached. The latching device is lodged into a groove recessed into the cylindrical inner surface of the syringe like a snap ring, and includes elastically deflectable fingers that extend axially and slightly inwardly radially in the direction toward the needle, so that the tips of the fingers extend into the path of the piston, are elastically deflected aside by the piston and spring inward again after the piston has passed, thereby blocking movement of the piston in the opposite direction and rendering the syringe non-reusable.

Abstract: Instances have been discovered in which a person has inserted the needle of a first hypodermic syringe through the soft rubber drive piston of a second hypodermic syringe to aspirate some of the narcotic fluid from the second syringe into the first syringe. To prevent this mode of pilfering, an impenetrable barrier is included in the second syringe to prevent the insertion of the needle of the first syringe. In the present invention, the impenetrable barrier is the head of a screw that extends through the drive piston for attaching the actuating rod used in moving the drive piston. In accordance with the present invention, the diameter of the head of the screw differs from the diameter of the tubular member by an amount not exceeding the diameter of the smallest needle that would normally be used for pilfering, namely 0.018 inches.

Abstract: The drive piston of a hypodermic syringe is rendered non-retractable by including on it a resilient disc-like element whose free diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the glass tubular body of the syringe. The drive piston is inserted into the glass tubular body from the rear end, thereby causing the resilient disc-like element to become dished with its concave side facing rearward. The dished resilient element acts as a continuous pawl since any attempt to retract the drive piston jams the edge of the resilient element against the inside wall of the tubular body.

Abstract: Instances have been discovered in which a person has inserted the needle of a first hypodermic syringe through the soft rubber drive piston of a second hypodermic syringe to aspirate some of the narcotic fluid from the second syringe into the first syringe. To prevent this mode of pilfering, an impenetrable barrier is included in the second syringe to prevent the insertion of the needle of the first syringe. The impenetrable barrier may be a unitary portion of the screw that is normally included in the drive piston of the syringe, or the barrier may be a separate part molded into the drive piston.

Abstract: An improvement for use with a particular type of hypodermic syringe having a non-retractable stopper located ahead of the drive piston so that the position of the non-retractable stopper indicates the extent to which the drive piston has been advanced. The improvement is a substantially opaque sleeve, or coating applied to the transparent tubular body of the syringe, or a substantially opaque section of the tubular body itself, that is positioned to obstruct the user's view of the non-retractable stopper when the latter is in its original position as supplied by the manufacturer. The front end of the sleeve, coating, or section coincides axially with the front end of the non-retractable stopper so that any forward movement of the non-retractable stopper will expose to view a portion of the non-retractable stopper.

Abstract: It is difficult to detect whether the rubber seal on a vial or on a hypodermic syringe cartridge has been penetrated, because the rubber seal over the mouth of the container is purposely soft and self-sealing to prevent contamination of the fluid within the container. As a result pilfering of narcotics from such containers has gone largely undetected. To remedy this situation, a blister-like sac of a plastic film and containing a harmless dye is mounted within the mouth of the container between the rubber seal and the contents of the container. It is impossible for a hypodermic needle to be inserted through the seal and into the fluid within the container without puncturing the blister-like sac and thereby releasing the harmless dye into the fluid within the container. Thus, if the seal has been broken, the fluid in the container will be tinted with the color of the harmless dye.

Abstract: A visually conspicuous object shaped like a disc or plug is mounted at the mouth of a container or in the neck of the container where it is held only by friction or some other easily-overcome force. The object is impenetrable by a hypodermic needle. When such a needle is thrust through the diaphragm-like seal of the container, the needle strikes the object, and overcomes the friction by which the object was retained in the mouth of the container, thereby releasing the object which then falls or migrates into the body of the container to serve as a visual indicator that the seal has been punctured.

Abstract: The inside surface of the glass tubular member of the hypodermic syringe cartridge is made rough along a strip which extends substantially the length of the cartridge. A piece of a solid but easily abradable material is retained on the circumference of the rubber drive piston, and the resiliency of the rubber drive piston squeezes the abradable material against the rough strip on the inside wall of the glass tubular member. As the drive piston is advanced to express fluid from the syringe, some of the abradable material becomes lodged in the rough surface where it remains even after the drive piston has been retracted to its original position. In another embodiment the marking substance is a fluid, paste, or liquid which is stored in a reservoir inside the drive piston and which is squeezed out of the drive piston by the compressive forces that act on the drive piston as it is being advanced.