Cormedics Gmbh

Kvm Technologies, Inc.

Kvm Engineering, Inc.

Other

Roche Diagnostics Operations, Inc.

American Home Products Corporation

Fairway Medical Technologies, Inc.

Beckman Instruments, Inc.

Owen Healthcare, Inc.

James W Meador

Thomas L Kraft

Stephen R Igo

Thomas G Miller

Howard A Vick

Ruben Trono

Louis Albert Waters, Jr

Abner D Joseph

John F Berry

Peter Arnold

Tom Funke

Sean M Donnelly

Richard B Finger

Randy Edward Yoder

Daniel Paul Casler

Christopher T Nikirk

Wing S Pang

Lisa W Rogers

Byron C Sutherland

William S Schnorr

Norman Hugh Smith

David O'Bryan

Joseph C Kearns, Jr

Corrine Johnson

A urine collection and disposal system and method applies subatmospheric pressure to a receptacle open to atmospheric pressure which has a urine outlet in fluid communication with a source of subatmospheric pressure. The receptacle receives urine in the receptacle from a urine donor and removes the urine from the receptacle, transporting the removed urine to a reservoir under the force of a pressure differential between atmospheric pressure at the receptacle and subatmospheric pressure at the reservoir. The reservoir urine is discharged at atmospheric pressure, for disposal, from the reservoir while maintaining the reservoir at subatmospheric pressure. A plurality of the receptacles allows simultaneously providing urine to the reservoir from more than one of the receptacles. Sanitizing fluid may be supplied intermediate the receptacle and the reservoir for transport to the reservoir under the force of the pressure differential between atmospheric and subatmospheric.

Urine collection and disposal system

A substantially moisture-proof, airtight dispenser for both storing and dispensing several flattened articles such as diagnostic test strips. The inventive dispenser includes a novel pivotable housing that a user need merely grab and squeeze to eject a test strip. Independent movement of the user's fingers to push a button or turn a knob is unnecessary to dispense a strip, which makes the present invention well suited for diabetics suffering from nerve damage in their extremities and other complications resulting from the disease. The invention includes a novel flexible arm member and pusher head that engage and push an article from the dispenser as the two parts of the housing are pivoted together. The articles are dispensed through an exit that is configured with a novel flexible seal that maintains the dispenser substantially airtight. Several inventive seal embodiments and methods of making the same are disclosed.

Dispenser for flattened articles

A pericardiocentesis apparatus and method for accessing the pericardial space. The invention consists of inserting a percutaneous tube whose tip has a hole which is positioned over and contacts the anterior pericardium. Introducing a vacuum within said tube forms a pericardial bleb within that hole. A guided needle within the tube is advanced to puncture the pericardial bleb while avoiding contact with the epicardium. A hollow filament or electrocardial lead or flexible guide wire within said needle can then be advanced into said pericardial cavity. The guide wire may be used to guide a intrapericardial catheter into the pericardial space for injection or infusion of selected therapeutic agents into the pericardial space to treat various heart and blood vessel diseases. Controlled drug release material(s) can be injected through said needle for the slow and/or sustained delivery of said therapeutic agents into said pericardial cavity.

Method and apparatus for accessing the pericardial space

A centrifugal blood pump driver comprises a motor housing and the housing contains a motor for rotationally driving the centrifugal blood pump and a controller operatively associated with the motor for controlling the rotational speed of the motor; a speed selector for generating a selected speed signal signifying a selected rotational speed for the motor; sensors operatively associated with the motor or controller for sensing the rotational speed of the motor and outputting a monitor signal signifying such rotational speed; program memory for storage of a program of microprocessor readable instructions; a microprocessor under program control, in electrical connection with the controller, the speed selector, the sensor and the program memory, for receiving the selected speed signal and generating a speed control signal to the controller signifying the selected speed for the controller, and for receiving the monitor signal and outputting a display signal; a display in electrical communication with the microprocessor and responsive to the display signal for displaying information; motor housing circuitry for providing electrical communication among the controller, the speed selector, the sensor, the program memory, the microprocessor, and the display; and electrically conductive cable connected to the motor housing circuitry for transmitting electrical DC power to the motor housing circuitry from an external power source.

Method of controlling centrifugal pump

Patient blood in an extracorporeal flow circuit (such as a cardiopulmonary bypass machine) is contacted with one or more nitric oxide feeds at least one of which is upstream of the circuit pump, to provide a concentration of nitric oxide in the blood effective to inhibit activation of blood platelets and reduce whole body inflammation of the patient as a result of a procedure using the extracorporeal circulation.

Extracorporeal circulation apparatus and method

Vascular treatment method and apparatus

Centrifugal blood pump driver apparatus

A container for pharmaceutical items, comprising a tray having at least one compartment adapted to retrievably contain at least one pharmaceutical item, each said compartment having associated therewith a lid movable between a closed position restricting access to the associated compartment and an open position permitting access to the associated compartment, and each lid having associated therewith a mechanism responsive to control signals from a computer to permit movement between the closed and open positions. The invention also includes a system for dispensing pharmaceutical items comprising at least one support structure supporting at least one drawer, each said drawer being adapted to receive at least one of the above described containers and being movable with respect to said support structure between an open position permitting access to a given compartment of a given container and a closed position restricting access to all containers in each said drawer; and at least one said computer operable to control access to each compartment in each container. The invention also includes a method of controllably and securably dispensing pharmaceutical items comprising, storing pharmaceutical items in locations identifiable by a computer and to which access is controlled by a computer, inputting data identifying a desired pharmaceutical item, and having said computer identify a location having the desired item and issue appropriate control signals to permit access to the desired item.

Secure medication storage and retrieval system

A pericardiocentesis apparatus and method for accessing the pericardial space. The invention consists of inserting a percutaneous tube whose tip has a hole which is positioned over and contacts the anterior pericardium. Introducing a vacuum within the tube forms a pericardial bleb within that hole. A guided needle within the tube is advanced to puncture the pericardial bleb while avoiding contact with the epicardium. A hollow filament or electrocardial lead or flexible guide wire within the needle can then be advanced into said pericardial cavity. The guide wire may be used to guide a intrapericardial catheter into the pericardial space for injection or infusion of selected therapeutic agents into the pericardial space to treat various heart and blood vessel diseases. Controlled drug release material(s) can be injected through the needle for the slow and/or sustained delivery of the therapeutic agents into the pericardial cavity.

A fluid sample receptacle provides a means of assuring uncontaminated, multiple samples of a fluid specimen. An upper or isolated sample chamber and a lower or primary sample chamber provide redundant test samples. A cover or lid with a downwardly extending column includes a stopper with a removable plug attached to automatically seal the lower sample chamber when the cover is sealed across the top of the upper chamber. This feature guarantees that the sample chambers are sealed or isolated simultaneously and that the test samples are therefore identical when taken. Tamper evident seals prove that either sample has not been contaminated. A preferred embodiment provides a bellows assembly to accommodate variations in ambient pressure and to provide a positive means of expelling a precise quantity of fluid from the receptacle for testing.

Fluid sample receptacle

Method and apparatus for treating blood vessels in a mammal, particularly humans, especially coronary blood vessels, for vascular thrombosis and angioplasty restenosis, thereby to decrease incidence of vessel rethrombosis, unstable angina and myocardial infarction, by administering a conager of an endothelium-derived bioactive agent, especially a nitrovasodilator, including one or more of nitric oxide or a nitric oxide donor agent, such as sodium nitroprusside and nitroglycerin, to an extravascular treatment site at a therapeutically effective dosage rate.

Coronary vasculature treatment method

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

James W Meador