Micro Therapeutics, Inc.

Children's Hospital Medical Center of Northern California

Other

Childen's Hospital Medical Center of Northern California

James I Wright

Richard J Greff

Scott M Evans

Lanny A Gorton

Richard P Meyst

Franciscus A Kuypers

Robert B Cole

Ronald B Luther

Charles W Dickerson

Disclosed are compositions suitable for use in embolizing blood vessels which compositions comprise a polymer, a biocompatible solvent and a contrast agent. The polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylonitrile, polyurethane, polyvinylacetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, nitrocellulose and copolymers of urethane/carbonate and copolymers of styrene/maleic acid.

Compositions for use in embolizing blood vessels

A soft over-the-needle (OTN) catheter that has been treated at a distal end to provide a higher durometer (i.e., harder) surface to facilitate insertion of the catheter into a patient is provided. The catheter preferably comprises a soft flexible tube made of polyurethane and having a hardness in the range of 50A to 90A where the treated distal end has a hardness of above 90A. The OTN catheter may also include an annular abutment shoulder formed at a distance from the distal end of the catheter. An insertion needle also comprises an abutment means, preferably a collar positioned on the exterior of the insertion needle, to abut the abutment shoulder of the catheter. Where the catheter is to be fed significantly into the vascular system, an optional metal ring may be secured within the catheter, adjacent the internal shoulder. When the needle is removed, the metal ring remains in place, permitting electromagnetic tracking of the catheter as it is fed through the vascular system. In an alternative embodiment, rather than chemically treating the distal end of a soft catheter, a discrete segment of hard tubing is press fit into the interior of the distal end of a soft catheter.

Hard tip over-the-needle intravenous catheter

Methods for sterilizing male mammals

An apparatus and method for collecting a large volume of blood from an umbilical cord in a sterile environment are shown and described. A housing having an inner region adapted to retain an umbilical cord in a desired location is provided, the housing having an opening through which the cord extends from the inner region of the housing to a region external to the housing. The cord is cut by a blade coupled to the housing, either by the motion of the blade from a first position to a second position, or by the movement of two portions of the housing from a first extended position to a second collapsed position. The newly cut end of the umbilical cord falls and hangs freely in the inner region of the housing, blood flowing from the placenta and umbilical cord via gravity into a blood collection region of the housing. The blood collection region may be flexible, and may be coupled to a conventional blood collection bag.

Apparatus and method for collecting blood from an umbilical cord

Growing community of inventors

Villa Park, CA, United States of America

James I Wright