Abstract: Illuminated medical devices. A medical device includes a light source with an outer housing, at least one light bulb, and at least one battery. The light bulb and battery are contained by the outer housing to thereby form a self-contained unit as part of the medical device to illuminate an area in a medical procedure. Another medical device includes a light source with at least one light bulb and at least one battery. The light source is a self-contained unit attached to the medical device and positioned to illuminate an area in a medical procedure. The light source is free of any electrical conductors in an electrical circuit between the battery and integral leads of the light bulb.

Abstract: A laryngoscope and associated method of intubating a patient. A laryngoscope includes a handle and a blade extending outwardly from the handle. The blade has a surface for contacting a tongue of a patient during an intubation procedure. The blade surface includes first, second and third sections. The first section is positioned between the handle and the second section. The second section is positioned between the first and third sections. The first and third sections are concave. The second section is convex. A method of intubating a patient includes the steps of: inserting a laryngoscope into an oral cavity, the laryngoscope including a blade having a surface for contacting a tongue; displacing the tongue into a submental space using a first concave section of the blade surface; and preventing subluxation of the tongue into a pharyngeal cavity using a second convex section of the blade surface.

Abstract: A method for processing maintenance work orders includes: identifying a maintenance problem; generating a work order for the maintenance problem in a computer, including at least the location of the problem and the type of the problem; assigning the work order to a technician; entering data from the technician in the computer relating to the technician completing the work order, including at least the action taken to fix the problem and the elapsed time to complete the work order; and comparing the elapsed time entered by the technician for the completed work order to a predetermined standard benchmark for the type of maintenance problem to measure the efficiency of the technician in fixing the problem.

Abstract: A method for processing maintenance work orders includes: identifying a plurality of maintenance problems; generating a work order for each maintenance problem in a computer, including at least the location of each problem and the type of each problem; assigning each of the work orders to one of a plurality of technicians to fix each of the problems; entering data from each technician in the computer relating to the technician completing each work order, including at least the action taken to fix the problem and the elapsed time to complete the work order; and collecting the data from each of the work orders and analyzing the collected data with respect to at least one of the characteristics of similar types of problems stored in the computer.