Abstract: A device and system for flushing a shunt catheter utilizes the available cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to flush a blocked catheter. The CSF is pressurized to a predetermined amount and then allowed to suddenly, rapidly and forcefully purge any occlusions. The rapid release of CSF produces flow jets from the catheter pores into the ventricle. This impulse, or “cough”, will push and divert choroid plexus and/or other blockages away from the pores. The device and system may then be allowed to refill at a slow rate, thus reducing the possibility of rapid suction of fluid back into the system and the attendant possibility of drawing the choroid plexus back into the pores. The catheter at the proximal end may also include back-up pores that can be opened to restart flow from the ventricle should the primary pores remain blocked after a flushing attempt.

Abstract: Footprint data of an item that is representative of a boundary of the item and where that boundary is located is obtained using occlusion of a projected line. Line projectors are arranged at opposite sides of a conveyor belt and at an angle that is acute with respect to a plane of the conveyor belt and produce lines on the conveyor belt within a measurement area. As an item moves past the measurement area, the sides of the item occlude a portion of the projected lines. Cameras acquire a series of images as the object moves with respect to the measurement area. The images are processed to determine where the projected lines were occluded. An edge point is then determined representative of that location. One or more lines may be fitted to a plurality of edge points to determine the boundary of the item.

Abstract: A device and system for flushing a shunt catheter utilizes the available cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to flush a blocked catheter. The CSF is pressurized to a predetermined amount and then allowed to suddenly, rapidly and forcefully purge any occlusions. The rapid release of CSF produces flow jets from the catheter pores into the ventricle. This impulse, or “cough”, will push and divert choroid plexus and/or other blockages away from the pores. The device and system may then be allowed to refill at a slow rate, thus reducing the possibility of rapid suction of fluid back into the system and the attendant possibility of drawing the choroid plexus back into the pores. The catheter at the proximal end may also include back-up pores that can be opened to restart flow from the ventricle should the primary pores remain blocked after a flushing attempt.

Abstract: A device and system for flushing a shunt catheter utilizes the available cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to flush a blocked catheter. The CSF is pressurized to a predetermined amount and then allowed to suddenly, rapidly and forcefully purge any occlusions. The rapid release of CSF produces flow jets from the catheter pores into the ventricle. This impulse, or “cough”, will push and divert choroid plexus and/or other blockages away from the pores. The device and system may then be allowed to refill at a slow rate, thus reducing the possibility of rapid suction of fluid back into the system and the attendant possibility of drawing the choroid plexus back into the pores. The catheter at the proximal end may also include back-up pores that can be opened to restart flow from the ventricle should the primary pores remain blocked after a flushing attempt.

Abstract: An ink that is detectable using infrared (IR) light may be used to apply machine readable codes, such as a barcode. The indicia, once applied, may be either invisible or difficult to detect with visible light, such as with the human eye. The ink may include one or more materials such as titanium dioxide (TiO2), particles of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), metals, and so forth. These materials may be used to enhance one or more of the reflectivity to IR light or the fluorescence of the ink under IR light. The fluorescent ink may be deposited in a single pass, or as part of a two-pass process in which a reflective substrate, such as a resin with encapsulated TiO2, is applied and then the fluorescent ink is deposited atop the substrate. The markings are machine readable even when overprinting markings that are readable under visible light.

Abstract: A device and system for flushing a shunt catheter utilizes the available cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to flush a blocked catheter. The CSF is pressurized to a predetermined amount and then allowed to suddenly, rapidly and forcefully purge any occlusions. The rapid release of CSF produces flow jets from the catheter pores into the ventricle. This impulse, or “cough”, will push and divert choroid plexus and/or other blockages away from the pores. The device and system may then be allowed to refill at a slow rate, thus reducing the possibility of rapid suction of fluid back into the system and the attendant possibility of drawing the choroid plexus back into the pores. The catheter at the proximal end may also include back-up pores that can be opened to restart flow from the ventricle should the primary pores remain blocked after a flushing attempt.