Medex, Inc.

Dennis M Tomisaka

John C Toomey

Vincent Daniel McGinniss

Charles Russell Patzer

David C Masterson

Michael P Eland

Thomas P Frank

Warren B Nicholson

Glen D Brunner

A needleless valve (16), which may be housed in a plastic housing (12), has a web (18) provided with a slit (20) for blunt cannula access therethrough. The web (18) is provided with a lubricious coating (22) on at least a portion thereof, the coating (22) being polymeric and covalently bonded to the web (18). Coating (22) enhances the ease of use of valve (16) and increases its useful life by decreasing the deleterious effects of repeated cannula insertion and removal.

Needleless valve having a covalently bonded lubricious coating

A pressure transducer (10) for measuring fluid pressure in a fluid path comprising a strain gauge circuit (37) of thick film piezoresistors formed on an alumina diaphragm (36) in a Wheatstone bridge configuration. Each resistance leg of the bridge typically includes a thick film measuring piezoresistor (R1A) to which selected thick film patch-in piezoresistors (R1B, R1C, R1D, R1E) are selectively connected to create a measuring resistance network (PN1). The measuring resistance network is adjusted to a predetermined resistance value to balance and optimize the electrical symmetry of the bridge. The pressure transducer (10) includes a mechanical stop member (46) located adjacent the alumina diaphragm (36) such that the fully deflected diaphragm contacts the stop thereby physically preventing the diaphragm from deflecting an amount that would cause the diaphragm to rupture.

Low cost pressure transducer particularly for medical applications

In a blood gas sensing probe, a cylindrical sleeve contains an optical fiber. The end of the optical fiber is withdrawn into the sleeve thereby creating a receptacle at the end of the sleeve. A sensitive dye, HOPSA for example, is encapsulated in a gel and deposited in the receptacle to form the probe. In making the probe, the end of the optical fiber is in the same plane as the end of the sleeve in which it is placed. The dye and gel contact the combined ends of optical fiber and sleeve. The fiber is withdrawn into the sleeve thereby creating a vacuum which is filled by the dye and gel.

Method of making an optical fiber probe

Probe for blood gas sensing

Growing community of inventors

Dublin, OH, United States of America

Dennis M Tomisaka