Abstract: A device is provided for use with a body fluid sampling device for extracting bodily fluid from an anatomical feature. The device comprises a cartridge having a plurality of cavities. The device may include a plurality of penetrating members each at least partially contained in the cavities of the cartridge wherein the penetrating members are slidably movable to extend outward from openings on the cartridge to penetrate tissue. The device may also include a plurality of analyte detecting members and a plurality of chambers. Each chamber may be associated with one of the cavities, the chambers positioned along an outer periphery of the cartridge, wherein at least one of said analyte detecting members forms a portion of one wall of one of said plurality of chambers. In one embodiment, the device may also include a fluid spreader positioned over at least a portion of said analyte detecting member to urge fluid toward one of the detecting members.

Abstract: An applicator for applying a microprojection member to the stratum corneum of a patient having a housing, a piston moveable within the housing and a cap adapted to activate the applicator. The applicator is self-setting and auto-triggering, which allows the applicator to be used by patient's having neither the strength, nor the manual dexterity to pre-set and activate other types of applicator devices.

Abstract: A skin pricker has a housing (1) for a lancet (5) which, when released from a rearward cocked position, is propelled forwards by a spring momentarily to project its tip (3). During the forward motion a peg (12) within the housing (1) passes along a slot (10) in the lancet and, just before the tip (3) projects, snaps through a neck (11) at the rear end of the slot. If the lancet (5) is then pushed back, the peg (12) cannot re-enter the slot (10): instead it wedges the lancet sideways and, before it can be re-cocked, traps the lancet behind an abutment (13) ensuring that the tip (3) cannot be re-exposed.

Abstract: An instrument for clamping and cutting a deformable flexible tube includes handles and jaws pivotally coupled together on opposite sides of a pivot member, a fixed cutting blade on the jaws, integrally hinged lockable V-clamps with ratcheted inner gripping surfaces mounted in the jaws with the edge of the cutting blade positioned above the ratcheted surfaces of the V-clamps, and a device to push the V-clamp axially forward in the jaws. When the handles are pressed together to an intermediate position, the jaws are closed only partially locking the arms of the V-clamps while leaving the edge of the cutting blade distanced from the center of the clamp and from the tube, and when the handles are pressed further to a cutting position, the locked V-clamp is pushed forward in the jaws simultaneously closing the jaws completely and bringing down the cutting blade.

Abstract: A device for use in penetrating tissue to obtain a body fluid sample is provided. A cartridge may be included. A plurality of penetrating members are slidably coupled to the cartridge. Each penetrating member has a distal end that is sufficiently sharp to pierce tissue. Each penetrating member may be moveable relative to the other ones of the penetrating members so that the sharpened distal ends extend radially outward to penetrate tissue. The penetrating members are elongate members without molded attachments.

Abstract: A blood sampling device has a lancet (2) captive within a housing (1), to be released from a rearward primed position by pressing a trigger (18) on the side of the housing. A spring (3) shoots the lancet (2) forwards, momentarily to project its tip. The lancet (2) is initially held by a hooked tongue (25, 28) that latches behind a transverse web (10, 11) within the housing, the trigger action dislodging that engagement. The tongue (25) either springs back after release and so will abut the trigger (18) or the front of the web (10) if pushed back in an attempt to re-latch, or it will stay permanently deformed and thus be unable to re-engage the web (10). Alternatively, the trigger (18) may slice off the hook (28), making re-use impossible.

Abstract: A method and device are described for applying a microprotrusion member (44) including a plurality of microprotrusions (90) to the stratum corneum with impact. The method and device are used to improve transport of an agent across the skin for agent delivery or sampling. The applicator (10, 60, 80) causes the microprotrusion member (44) to impact the stratum corneum with a certain amount of impact determined to effectively pierce the skin with the microprotrusions (90). The preferred applicator (10, 60, 80) impacts the stratum corneum with the microprotrusion member (44) with an impact of at least 0.05 joules per cm2 of the microprotrusion member (44) in 10 msec or less.

Abstract: A skin pricker is disclosed which comprises a casing (100) and a plunger (132) which fit together telescopically. To trigger the skin pricker, the plunger's head (134) is placed against the skin to be pricked and the casing (100) pressed towards it. A lancet blade (114) is mounted on an element (112) which is integral with a spring (118). The spring is sinusoidal and includes stops (126, 128, 130) for limiting movement of the “waves” of the spring towards one another. Cams (116) carried by the element (112) co-operate with the end surfaces of plates (138) forming part of the plunger so that during initial movement of the casing, the plunger and element move as a unit. When the stops (126, 128, 130) prevent further movement of the element, the cams urge the plates apart and then enter slots (140) in the plates (138). The spring then forces the blade (114) in a forward skin pricking movement. The cams (116) in the plates (138) and can move freely along the slots.

Abstract: A multi-use lancet device having a lancet receiving assembly containing at least two lancets disposed therein and structured to be independently moveable between a cocked and a fired orientation, and a firing assembly movably and operatively coupled with the lancet receiving assembly so as to be selectively and independently positioned in operative engagement with each of the lancets in order to define an active one of the lancets. The firing assembly is also structured to selectively move at least the active lancet between its cocked and its fired orientations.

Abstract: A surgical implement employs first, second and third like elongated thin vertical closely spaced apart cutting blades. Each blade terminates at its upper end in an arrow head type point. All of these points lie in a common horizontal plane. Connection apparatus is integral with and forms a common base with the lower ends of all of these blades.

Abstract: A lancet device that includes an adjustable digit-constricting member movably and operatively coupled with an outer (first) barrel. An inner (second) barrel, rigidly mounted inside the outer barrel, houses a biasing element attached thereto as well as a lancet attached to the biasing element.

Abstract: A perforating device for dermal administration of medicine is disclosed. The device includes skin perforating members provided with a plurality of needles and received in a casing. The skin perforating members have alternately arranged needle discs and spacer discs which easily and evenly perforates the skin to a depth, suitable for dermal administration of medicine, by simply rolling the assembly on the skin. The device also includes a biasing mechanism for elastically vertically moving the assembly during skin perforating and thereby preventing the skin perforating members from excessively perforating the skin. The device informs the user of the excessive pressure of the assembly and thereby preventing possible skin damage.

Abstract: A convertible rongeur is shown, with a top shaft that opens from the front, to allow access for cleaning, yet remains attached to the body of the device even when fully opened. In the preferred embodiment, the top shaft of the rongeur is held in positive engagement with the front handle piece of the rongeur by means of a spring loaded, retractable slot and pin linkage, and the permanent attachment between the top shaft and the remainder of the instrument is through a movable linkage at the rear. The rongeur is thus fully openable for cleaning, yet remains in one piece when opened for cleaning, and retains all of the advantages of permanently assembled prior art rongeurs.

Abstract: A blood sampling device is provided with a housing, a lancet assembly, a lancet holder disposed in the housing for supporting the lancet assembly, the lancet holder being movable in a lancing direction between a cocked position and a puncture position, a drive spring for forcing the lancet holder from the cocked position to the puncture position, and a mechanism for damping movement of the lancet holder during travel of the lancet holder from the puncture position to an intermediate position between the puncture position and the cocked position. The damping mechanism may be provided in the form of a non-planar surface, such as a corrugated surface, disposed on the lancet holder and a damping member which makes contact with the non-planar surface during movement of the lancet holder.

Abstract: A blood sampling device for penetrating skin to obtain a blood sample is disclosed. The blood sampling device has a blade structure that can be extended from a housing to pierce the skin and then retracted. The blade structure has at least two blades each including a cutting edge. The blades abut one another to form a rigid joint from which the blades extend. The blades each have a distal portion in which the distance from the rigid joint to the cutting edge decreases towards and terminates at a sharp point at a distal end. Each blade generally forms an angle less than 180 degrees with at least one neighboring blade. This structure decreases the tendency of the blade structure to flex as the distal end of the blade structure penetrates the skin to yield blood.

Abstract: A blood analysis apparatus for obtaining blood for analysis from the skin of a patient with a controlled degree of lancing. The apparatus including a cartridge and a driver. The cartridge includes a cartridge case and a lancet. The lancet has a tip and is housed in the cartridge case. The lancet can be driven to extend the tip outside the cartridge case through an opening for lancing the skin of the patient to yield blood. The driver drives the lancet to move the tip distally to lance the skin. The driver is triggerable by the skin which is to be lanced exerting a force exceeding a preset amount against the triggering mechanism of the apparatus, to drive the lancet toward the skin.

Abstract: A counter-balanced oscillating surgical saw for use in surgical procedures is described which greatly reduces the vibrations caused when the saw blades contact the patient's anatomy. The reduction of vibration is achieved by the present saw which uses two oscillating blades to counter the kinetic energy typically lost when only one blade is used. The preferred embodiment of the present invention includes at least two cutting blades mounted on at least two actuator blocks. The actuator blocks are preferably mounted on at least two shafts which extend from the top of the saw handle: a pivot shaft and a rotatable shaft which is rotated by an electric motor. At least two eccentric bearings are mounted to the rotatable shaft (one bearing for each actuator block) such that the bearings orbit about the rotatable shaft 180.degree. out-of-phase with respect to one another.

Abstract: A skin perforating member for an insulin patch, which is for disposing a human skin before administering insulin transdermally. By a pressure sensing arrangement instailed on both sides of a skin perforating member, a user can learn whether scarring a skin is properly going on at the sight of a pilot lamp. When not used, this device deposits the skin perforating member in its main body to shield perforating needles.

Abstract: A manual dental and medical living tissue cutting instrument for obtaining living tissue grafts. The manual dental and medical tissue cutting instrument includes an elongated member with two portions. One portion is sized and shaped to be grasped by the hand of the user of the cutting instrument and the other adjacent blade holding portion that is located at the end of the elongated member and is adapted to hold two removable blades. The blade holding portion is adapted to hold the two removable blades in an angular relationship with each other in such a manner that the pointed ends of the removable blades either touch or come in close proximity to each other. The invention includes both the elongated member with its handle portion and blade holding portion without the removable blades and the combination of the elongated member and the removable blades.

Abstract: A portable device for performing coagulation tests on a patient's blood. Blood is first drawn from a patient using a lancet. The blood is then supplied to a disposable cuvette placed within the testing device. The blood is drawn into multiple conduits within the cuvette. Each of the conduits contains a dried or lyophilized activation reagent that is rehydrated by the blood. The blood in each of the conduits is then reciprocally moved across a restricted region until a predetermined degree of coagulation occurs. Since the coagulation time is being monitored in multiple conduits, a representation coagulation time for a given sample can be determined. In at least one of the conduits a normalizing control agent is present. The normalizing control agent counteracts any effects of anticoagulants present in the blood sample, thereby allowing the blood sample to have generally normal coagulation characteristics.

Abstract: A surgical saw includes a saw assembly for being driven by a powered surgical handpiece and having a pair of parallel, co-planar guide arms, a pair of flexible, endless cutting bands disposed around the guide arms, respectively, and a drive mechanism for driving the cutting bands around the guide arms in a cutting direction. The cutting bands each include a plurality of spaced cutting teeth connected to one another by flexible band segments. The cutting bands are driven by the drive mechanism relative to the guide arms in opposite directions along defined paths to cut anatomical tissue at distal ends of the guide arms. A method of resecting bone includes the steps of driving the cutting bands relative to the guide arms in the cutting direction along the defined paths and inserting the distal ends of the guide arms in the bone to resect the bone along the plane of the guide arms.

Abstract: A skin pricker has a barrel (1) housing a lancet (3) which is urged rearwardly by a spring (4 ). A plunger (2) can move the lancet (3) against the spring (4) to project the lancet's needle tip or tips (18) from the forward end of the barrel (1). The plunger (2) presses on the rear of the lancet (3) through a firing pin (16) integrally formed with the plunger and connected to it by a thin web (17). Increased pressure after needle tip projection shears the web and the lancet (3) is free to be returned by the spring (4), withdrawing the needle tip or tips.

Abstract: A lancet device includes a body within which is slidably located a trigger and fixedly located a base. The base contains, in an armed position, the lance with its needle and a spring affixed to the lance. The trigger includes a mechanism to release the lance during use.In a preferred embodiment, the lancet device of the present invention is self-activated by the finger (or other body part) to be pierced. Depression of the trigger with the finger releases the lance and the spring so that the needle protrudes through an orifice in the end of the trigger and pierces the tissue. Because the spring is held in a pre-armed position, release of the spring is consistent, and reproducibility of incision is well controlled.

Abstract: A trocar has an elongated body with a frustro-conical end which terminates in a blunt tip. A plurality of blades are radially attached to a blade housing connected to the trocar body. In one embodiment the blade housing moves toward the trocar body in response to a force causing the blades to extend to a cutting position. When the force is removed the blades return to a retracted position.

Abstract: A lancet device includes a body within which is slidably located a trigger and fixedly located a base. The base contains, in an armed position, the lance with its needle and a spring affixed to the lance. The trigger includes a mechanism to release the lance during use.In a preferred embodiment, the lancet device of the present invention is self-activated by the finger (or other body part) to be pierced. Depression of the trigger with the finger releases the lance and the spring so that the needle protrudes through an orifice in the end of the trigger and pierces the tissue. Because the spring is held in a pre-armed position, release of the spring is consistent, and reproducibility of incision is well controlled.

Abstract: A skin cutter instrument for excising ellipsoid-shaped samples of skin from a patient is disclosed. The skin cutter has a hollow tube, a spring and rod combination within the tube, an assembly with multiple pivotable joints, and two skin cutting blades. The assembly carries out a scissoring motion when the rod is pressed down, causing the blades to come together and thereby remove the skin sample. The blades can have either concave cutting surfaces, or straight cutting surfaces that are deformed into an arc shape. Either blade cutting surface configuration allows for excision of the desired ellipsoid-shaped tissue sample from the patient.