Abstract: A medical personal-services suction handle includes a hand-graspable housing and a primary suction pathway disposed through the hand-graspable housing and having a suction line port at one end and an intake port at an opposing end thereof. An on/off valve disposed at least partially within the primary suction pathway has a user-manipulable interface by which the on/off valve selectively opens the primary suction pathway and occludes the primary suction pathway. A user-engageable pneumatic pathway serves, when selectively engaged, to pneumatically couple the primary suction pathway to a secondary external port in the hand-graspable housing such that suction is applied via the primary suction pathway to both the intake port and the secondary external port. By one approach the secondary external port comprises a thumb-control port.

Abstract: Data structures for data transactions related to clearing are managed by: maintaining a market participant account data structure for the market participant and a guaranty fund data structure representative of a guaranty fund contribution made by a clearing member in support of the market participant; receiving transaction data for the market participant in connection with the transaction; determining a settlement data level for the transaction and for which the market participant is responsible; determining a guaranty fund contribution data level for the transaction and for which the clearing member is responsible; adjusting the market participant account data structure in accordance with the determined settlement data level; and, adjusting the guaranty fund data structure in accordance with the determined guaranty fund contribution data level.

Abstract: A liner system (500) for use with a blood pressure cuff (500) includes a plurality of layers (503,504,505,506) of material arranged in a stack (502). Each layer of material can be peelable from other layers of material such that an uppermost layer of the stack can be peeled from the stack after use to reveal a next uppermost layer of the stack. Each layer of material can include a tab (517,518,519,520) to facilitate peeling the each layer of material from the stack. The tabs can be staggered from other tabs of the stack. The lowermost layer of the stack can include a fixative (1228) to attach the stack to an inner surface (202) of the blood pressure cuff. The liner system prevents the cross-contamination between patients.

Abstract: A medical personal-services suction handle includes a hand-graspable housing and a primary suction pathway disposed through the hand-graspable housing and having a suction line port at one end and an intake port at an opposing end thereof. An on/off valve disposed at least partially within the primary suction pathway has a user-manipulable interface by which the on/off valve selectively opens the primary suction pathway and occludes the primary suction pathway. A user-engageable pneumatic pathway serves, when selectively engaged, to pneumatically couple the primary suction pathway to a secondary external port in the hand-graspable housing such that suction is applied via the primary suction pathway to both the intake port and the secondary external port. By one approach the secondary external port comprises a thumb-control port.