Ryder International Corporation

Atrion Medical Products, Inc.

Pk Scientific, Inc.

Cordis Corporation

Boehringer Mannheim Gmbh

National Patent Development Corporation

Fred E Williams, Jr

Rowland W Kanner

Francis E Ryder

Joseph V Ranalletta

Richard Rabenau

Nicholas A Green

A novel stent compression instrument is used for holding a stent therein during shipping to a hospital and for thereafter crimping the stent onto a balloon catheter. The stent compression instrument includes a body having a central bore; a flexible diaphragm having an axial lumen and mounted within the body central bore, thereby defining a chamber between the body and the diaphragm, and first and second sealing structures for providing seals at opposite ends of the chamber. The diaphragm is formed from a generally tubular, thin wall into which the stent is placed therein and is expandable under a negative pressure condition to expand within the body and compressible under pressure to crimp the stent onto a balloon catheter. Holding structure, which is formed from at least one thickened wall portion along the length of the diaphragm wall, is associated with the diaphragm for holding the stent therewithin and to prevent movement of the stent once positioned therewithin when the diaphragm is subjected to a negative pressure condition. In the preferred embodiment, positioning structure is provided which is formed from a thickened wall portion along the length of the diaphragm wall which is spaced from the holding structure, is also associated with the diaphragm for positioning the stent within the lumen and preventing the further axial movement of the stent relative to the lumen when the stent is placed therein.

Stent holder/compression instrument

In accordance with the present invention, a fluid compression instrument and method for particular use in pre-surgically securing and conforming a vascular stent upon an angioplasty balloon, includes a housing for containing pressurized fluid and an elastic enclosing diaphragm secured within the housing and having an internal cavity and opening arranged to receive the stent disposed on the balloon catheter for secured compression. A pressure chamber is arranged within the housing as an envelope about the diaphragm to enable pressurized fluid forces within the pressure chamber to be imposed upon the outer surface of the diaphragm and transmitted through the diaphragm enabling circumferential application against the inserted stent in order uniformly to compress the stent with correspondingly secured purchase against the deflated balloon surface, producing complete adhesion of the stent thereon. The subsequent balloon inflation angioplasty and stent expansion is not impaired since the balloon remains in its deflated shape with the compressed stent closely conforming in contour throughout the balloon's 360.degree. periphery. The entire stent mesh is uniformly compressed down including the open stent ends which prevents the many tiny stent mesh edges from protruding out and effectively prevents both vascular abrasion as well as shifting of the stent on the deflated balloon during the angioplasty insertion procedure.

Process for stent compression

Stent compression instrument

A coagulation timer device is used to monitor the bleeding time of a patient to determine the amount of time required to achieve clotting. The coagulation timer device includes a carrier member, a linearly oriented absorbing medium which is affixed to the carrier member and a bag member which overlays the carrier member and the medium. The medium, such as filter paper or the like, is used to blot blood from an incision which has been formed through the skin. The medium is affixed to the carrier member and includes a plurality of segments each of which are defined by a scalloped edge portion which extends beyond the edges of the carrier member. The segments are used one at a time at predetermined intervals to blot the blood by touching the scalloped edge to the blood. Indicia is provided on the carrier member to let a medical person or technician know where the medium should be touched to the blood at each predetermined interval and provides a quick reference guide to let the technician know the amount of time that it has taken for the blood to clot. The bag member is affixed to the carrier member and is retractable to uncover the medium, while being replaceable to cover the medium.

Coagulation timer

A percutaneous vaccine applicator system which includes a percutaneous vaccine applicator and a packaging assembly for housing the vaccine applicator. The percutaneous vaccine applicator includes a handle and spiked portion attached to the handle. A plurality of spikes project from the spiked portion for puncturing the skin of a patient to deliver a percutaneous vaccine. The packaging assembly includes a hollow container and a removable cover attached to the container. The hollow container defines a cavity being sized and dimensioned for receiving the vaccine applicator. The container has structures for positively receiving and retaining an applicator placed therein.

Vaccine applicator system

A medical alert pendant for use as a wireless remote actuation device in an emergency alarm system or the like includes a housing with a circuit board assembly and a resilient mounting and sealing membrane mounted therein. The housing includes an upper housing section which has an opening in the surface thereof, and a lower housing section. The circuit board assembly includes a power source, a signal transmitter and a depressible switch which activates the transmitter. The membrane is positioned between the housing sections and includes a flexible button which is disposed in the housing opening and juxtaposed to the switch on the circuit board assembly. The depression of the flexible button will operate the switch on the circuit board. The membrane includes a first peripheral seal which seals the juncture between the housing sections and a secondary seal which seals the opening in the upper housing section. The membrane includes a support structure for receiving and supporting the circuit board assembly between the respective housing sections. The membrane includes a flexible web portion which allows the membrane to flex to accommodate negative pressure in the housing without causing air or water vapor to be drawn into the housing.

Medical alert pendant housing construction

A liquid dispensing nozzle assembly is provided for mounting on a liquid container and dispenser having a flexible wall and liquid storage cavity for manually squeezed dispensing of a liquid from the cavity through the nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly maintains the liquid, such as contact lens saline solution, in sterile condition during storage and repeated dispensing of the liquid from the container cavity. The nozzle assembly includes a liquid conduit for communication from the container cavity to a liquid discharge port from the nozzle assembly to enable dispensing of the liquid displaced by manually squeezing the flexible wall of the container. The nozzle assembly also includes an air aspiration conduit separate from the liquid conduit for aspirating air into the container cavity to replace the dispensed liquid. The nozzle assembly includes a partitioned diaphragm including separate portions respectively included in the liquid conduit and the air aspiration conduit. The air conduit portion of the diaphragm can include a filter which is hydrophobic and air permeable but impermeable to bacteria to prevent entrainment of bacteria with the aspirating flow of air into the liquid storage cavity of the container.

Liquid dispenser nozzle assembly

The present invention provides an actuator mechanism for sequentially advancing and retracting a lancet needle and includes a drive carriage for advancing and retracting the lancet needle and a hinge structure operatively connected to displace the drive carriage. The hinge structure includes first and second coupled leaf members relatively pivotal between a first position thereof in which the drive carriage is advanced to project and thrust the lancet needle into a tissue penetration position, and the second pivotal position of the leaf members in which the drive carriage is retracted to withdraw the lancet needle from the penetration position. The leaf members can also be pivotal to a third position in which the drive carriage is retracted prior to initiating the advancement so that the first position of the leaf members is pivotally intermediate between the second and third relative positions thereof. The drive carriage is thus advanced and thereafter retracted for thrusting and then withdrawing the lancet needle in continuous reversal motions thereof. The drive carriage is guided so that the advancement and retraction motions are along a highly accurate linear path.

Lancet actuator with retractable mechanism

Contact lens disinfector

An appliance for disinfecting contact lenses wherein the lenses are disposed within a lens disinfecting solution which produces a gas during the disinfecting action. The appliance has a container body with a lens holder for supporting a pair of contact lenses within the container and a removable cap with a vent means which seals the container to prevent contamination while permitting the venting of gases developed during the disinfecting action. The vent consists of a post positioned in a bore such that the post does not obstruct passage of gas from the inside of the container through the bore and a resiliently deflectable apertured diaphragm through which the post protrudes. The aperture in the diaphragm deflects away from the post when the pressure within the container exceeds a threshold pressure. Once the pressure within the container is equalized with the ambience, the diaphragm resiliently deflects to close the vent thereby protecting the contents of the container from contamination. Additionally, the apertured diaphragm scrapes small particles of proteinaceous material and other matter off of the post. Such matter is deposited on the post by the exhausting gas and, if not for the scraping action, would build up on the post rendering the vent useless.

Pressure venting system for lens cases

An appliance for electrically heated disinfection of contact lenses or similar ojects is provided with a molded plastic housing having a recessed cavity for insertion of a conventional side-by-side horizontal lens storage case containing the lenses immersed in disinfecting liquid, typically saline solution. The cavity has horizontally aligned opposite end openings through the sides of the housing and the openings are located and dimensioned to allow unobstructed sliding passage of the lens case from the cavity so that the lens case will fall by gravitation from the cavity through one of the openings when the housing is rotated 90.degree. to vertically align the openings. The cavity openings thus ensure that the lens case cannot be heated in the appliance in a vertical orientation which could damage the lenses by heated exposure above the level of the disinfecting liquid. The housing further includes a floor wall below the cavity and a cover portion overlying the cavity for preventing vertical access to the lens case and filling the case with saline solution when installed in the cavity. The appliance further includes components for electrically heating the lens case when installed in the cavity. Current is supplied to the electrical circuitry by typical electrical prong terminals projecting from a rear wall of the housing so that the prong terminals can be directly plugged into a conventional household electrical outlet.

Growing community of inventors

Arab, AL, United States of America

Fred E Williams, Jr