Abstract: An ultrasound image generating apparatus is disclosed, which includes a signal output unit configured to be connected to an ultrasound transducer that transmits ultrasound based on a drive signal toward a subject and generates a detection signal based on the ultrasound reflected from the subject, and the signal output unit is configured to output the drive signal to the ultrasound transducer. The signal output unit includes a plurality of pulsers that each output a pulse-like drive signal, and are connected in parallel to the ultrasound transducer, and a buffer that is connected to input sides of the pulsers, and stabilizes a signal to be input into each of the pulsers.

Abstract: A liquid medicine filling device includes a container mounting unit, a liquid delivery flow conduit, a ventilation flow conduit, a syringe, a connection flow conduit, a first flow path switching unit, and a second flow path switching unit. The first flow path switching unit may switch between a flow path for filling through which the syringe communicates with a liquid medicine container via the ventilation flow conduit and a flow path for air removal through which the syringe communicates with the connection flow conduit via the ventilation flow conduit. The second flow path switching unit may switch between a flow path for filling through which the liquid medicine container communicates with the liquid medicine storage unit via the liquid delivery flow conduit and a flow path for air removal through which the liquid medicine storage unit communicates with the connection flow conduit via the liquid delivery flow conduit.

Abstract: A liquid medicine filling device includes a container mounting unit, a liquid delivery flow conduit, a ventilation flow conduit, a syringe, a connection flow conduit, a first flow path switching unit, and a second flow path switching unit. The first flow path switching unit may switch between a flow path for filling through which the syringe communicates with a liquid medicine container via the ventilation flow conduit and a flow path for air removal through which the syringe communicates with the connection flow conduit via the ventilation flow conduit. The second flow path switching unit may switch between a flow path for filling through which the liquid medicine container communicates with the liquid medicine storage unit via the liquid delivery flow conduit and a flow path for air removal through which the liquid medicine storage unit communicates with the connection flow conduit via the liquid delivery flow conduit.

Abstract: A device for administering a drug solution includes: a pumping apparatus configured to deliver a drug solution held in a reservoir to a live body; a flow rate sensing apparatus configured to determine a flow rate of the solution delivered by the pumping apparatus, the flow rate sensing apparatus comprising: a heat-generating element disposed in a conduit line in which the drug solution is delivered; a first temperature sensor disposed in the conduit line upstream of the heat-generating element; a second temperature sensor disposed in the conduit line downstream of the heat-generating element; and an processor configured to calculate the flow rate in the conduit line based on a difference between a temperature detected by the first temperature sensing element and a temperature detected by the second temperature sensing element; and a controller configured to control a drive state of the pumping apparatus based on the determined flow rate.

Abstract: An iontophoresis patch is equipped with a donor gel and a reference gel which are disposed to contact an external conductor, for example, the skin of a patient and thereby output current from a current-carrying device to the external conductor. The iontophoresis patch includes: a donor portion having the donor gel containing a medical agent to be penetrated into the external conductor; a reference portion having a reference gel, mounted with the current-carrying device on the surface on the side opposite to the reference gel, and disposed on the external conductor apart from the donor portion; and an electrode film for supplying current from the current-carrying device to the donor gel and the reference gel.

Abstract: An iontophoresis patch which outputs an electric current from an energizing device to an external conductor comprises: a donor portion that has a first contact member; a reference portion that has a second contact member and is located on the external conductor away from the donor portion; and an electrode body that has a first electrode and a second electrode and that extends across the donor portion and the reference portion. The electrode body has a single-sided wiring structure in which the first electrode and the second electrode are formed by a conductive ink being printed on one side of a film, the printing pattern of the first electrode has a gap area in which the conductive ink is not printed, and the film and the first contact member are transparent.

Abstract: A transdermal drug administration device which comprises a patch that is provided with: a donor gel in which a medical agent is sealed; a reference gel; a first electrode that is connected to the donor gel; and a second electrode that is connected to the reference gel. When the patch is applied to the skin, a direct current is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode at a predetermined cycle and an alternating current is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode during the periods when a direct current is not applied, thereby obtaining the capacitance. The application state of the patch is determined based on the thus-obtained capacitance.

Abstract: A blood pump apparatus comprises a housing, a centrifugal pump section including an impeller and rotating inside the housing to feed a fluid by a centrifugal force, an impeller rotational torque generation section for attracting thereto said impeller and rotating said impeller; and a plurality of grooves for hydrodynamic bearing provided on an inner surface of said housing at a side of said impeller rotational torque generation section, each of the grooves for hydrodynamic bearing having a first side and a second side both extending from a periphery of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed toward a central side thereof and opposed to each other, a third side connecting one end of said first side and one end of said second side to each other, and a fourth side connecting said other end of said first side and said other end of said second side to each other; said first side and said second side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that centers of said circular arcs

Abstract: An iontophoresis patch is equipped with a donor gel and a reference gel which are disposed to contact an external conductor, for example, the skin of a patient and thereby output current from a current-carrying device to the external conductor. The iontophoresis patch includes: a donor portion having the donor gel containing a medical agent to be penetrated into the external conductor; a reference portion having a reference gel, mounted with the current-carrying device on the surface on the side opposite to the reference gel, and disposed on the external conductor apart from the donor portion; and an electrode film for supplying current from the current-carrying device to the donor gel and the reference gel.

Abstract: A ventricular assist system includes a controller supplying a DC voltage or an AC voltage, and electromagnets adapted to be adhered to an infarct portion of a heart at the time of embedding a pump. After embedding the system, cells enclosed in capsules are released into the surroundings of the infarct portion by use of a catheter. The capsules are magnetic so that they can be concentrated onto the infarct portion by magnetic fields of the electromagnets, and are broken in the vicinity of the infarct portion, whereby cells effective for regeneration of cardiac muscles can be conveyed to the infarct portion in a noninvasive manner after the embedding of the ventricular assist system.

Abstract: A sensorless magnetic bearing type blood pump apparatus includes a blood pump and a control mechanism. The blood pump has electromagnets for rotating a rotating body in a non-contact condition, and a hydrodynamic bearing section for rotating the rotating body in a non-contact condition when operation of the electromagnets is stopped. The apparatus is devoid of any sensors for determining the position of the rotating body. The control mechanism includes a pulse width modulation type electromagnet driving unit, a carrier component measuring unit for measuring carrier components of voltage and current in the driving unit, a modulation factor calculating unit which calculates a modulation factor using the carrier wave data, and a bearing mode changing-over mechanism for effecting change-over from the magnetic bearing mode to the hydrodynamic bearing mode when the calculated modulation factor is outside a predetermined range and for returning to the magnetic bearing mode after the change-over.

Abstract: A blood pump system for an artificial heart including: a control unit for controlling a blood pump, the control unit including a first alarm generating part for generating a first alarm signal according to the state of the blood pump, and a speaker for outputting an audible sound upon receiving the first alarm signal when the blood pump is in an abnormal state; a supervisory section configured to supervise the state of the control unit; a determining section configured to determine whether the control unit is in an abnormal state or not, based on output signal from the supervisory section; and a second alarm generating part for generating a second alarm signal according to the state of the control unit, based on the result of determination by the determining section.

Abstract: A blood pump apparatus comprises a housing, a centrifugal pump section including an impeller and rotating inside the housing to feed a fluid by a centrifugal force, an impeller rotational torque generation section for attracting thereto said impeller and rotating said impeller; and a plurality of grooves for hydrodynamic bearing provided on an inner surface of said housing at a side of said impeller rotational torque generation section, each of the grooves for hydrodynamic bearing having a first side and a second side both extending from a periphery of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed toward a central side thereof and opposed to each other, a third side connecting one end of said first side and one end of said second side to each other, and a fourth side connecting said other end of said first side and said other end of said second side to each other; said first side and said second side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that centers of said circular arcs

Abstract: A blood pump apparatus comprises a housing, a centrifugal pump section including an impeller and rotating inside the housing to feed a fluid by a centrifugal force, an impeller rotational torque generation section for attracting thereto said impeller and rotating said impeller; and a plurality of grooves for hydrodynamic bearing provided on an inner surface of said housing at a side of said impeller rotational torque generation section, each of the grooves for hydrodynamic bearing having a first side and a second side both extending from a periphery of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed toward a central side thereof and opposed to each other, a third side connecting one end of said first side and one end of said second side to each other, and a fourth side connecting said other end of said first side and said other end of said second side to each other; said first side and said second side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that centers of said circular arcs

Abstract: A ventricular assist system includes a controller supplying a DC voltage or an AC voltage, and electromagnets adapted to be adhered to an infarct portion of a heart at the time of embedding a pump. After embedding the system, cells enclosed in capsules are released into the surroundings of the infarct portion by use of a catheter. The capsules are magnetic so that they can be concentrated onto the infarct portion by magnetic fields of the electromagnets, and are broken in the vicinity of the infarct portion, whereby cells effective for regeneration of cardiac muscles can be conveyed to the infarct portion in a noninvasive manner after the embedding of the ventricular assist system.

Abstract: A centrifugal blood pump apparatus has a centrifugal pump section including an impeller having a first magnetic material therein and rotating inside the housing to feed a fluid by a centrifugal force generated during a rotation thereof; an impeller rotational torque generation section having a rotor having a magnet for attracting the first magnetic material of the impeller thereto, and a motor for rotating the rotor; and a dynamic pressure groove formed at a portion, of an inner surface of the housing, located at a rotor-disposed side thereof. The centrifugal blood pump apparatus further includes an electromagnet for attracting the impeller in a direction opposite to a direction in which the magnet of the rotor attracts the impeller and helping the impeller levitate.

Abstract: A blood pump system for an artificial heart including: a control unit for controlling a blood pump, the control unit including a first alarm generating part for generating a first alarm signal according to the state of the blood pump, and a speaker for outputting an audible sound upon receiving the first alarm signal when the blood pump is in an abnormal state; a supervisory section configured to supervise the state of the control unit; a determining section configured to determine whether the control unit is in an abnormal state or not, based on output signal from the supervisory section; and a second alarm generating part for generating a second alarm signal according to the state of the control unit, based on the result of determination by the determining section.

Abstract: A sensorless magnetic bearing type blood pump apparatus includes a blood pump and a control mechanism. The blood pump has electromagnets for rotating a rotating body in a non-contact condition, and a hydrodynamic bearing section for rotating the rotating body in a non-contact condition when operation of the electromagnets is stopped. The apparatus is devoid of any sensors for determining the position of the rotating body. The control mechanism includes a pulse width modulation type electromagnet driving unit, a carrier component measuring unit for measuring carrier components of voltage and current in the driving unit, a modulation factor calculating unit which calculates a modulation factor using the carrier wave data, and a bearing mode changing-over mechanism for effecting change-over from the magnetic bearing mode to the hydrodynamic bearing mode when the calculated modulation factor is outside a predetermined range and for returning to the magnetic bearing mode after the change-over.

Abstract: A centrifugal fluid pump assembly includes a body section and a control mechanism 6. The body section includes a housing, an impeller rotatable within the housing, and a motor for rotating the impeller. The pump assembly includes a motor current flow rate-related data storage section for storing, for a plurality of different predetermined viscosities, predetermined viscosity-related flow rate data formed from a plurality of motor current flow rate relation data at a plurality of different impeller rotational speeds at predetermined fluid viscosity, a fluid measurement data inputting section, an impeller rotational speed measurement function, a motor current measurement function, and a flow rate calculating section 58 for using a fluid viscosity value, an impeller rotational speed value, a measured motor current and data stored in the motor current flow rate-related data storage section to calculate a fluid flow rate.

Abstract: A blood pump apparatus comprises a housing, a centrifugal pump section including an impeller and rotating inside the housing to feed a fluid by a centrifugal force, an impeller rotational torque generation section for attracting thereto said impeller and rotating said impeller; and a plurality of grooves for hydrodynamic bearing provided on an inner surface of said housing at a side of said impeller rotational torque generation section, each of the grooves for hydrodynamic bearing having a first side and a second side both extending from a periphery of said portion in which a groove for hydrodynamic bearing is formed toward a central side thereof and opposed to each other, a third side connecting one end of said first side and one end of said second side to each other, and a fourth side connecting said other end of said first side and said other end of said second side to each other; said first side and said second side are formed as a circular arc respectively in such a way that centers of said circular arcs