Baxter International Inc.

C. R. Bard, Inc.

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation

Cardiopulmonary Specialities, Inc.

Ken Litzie

Craig P Roberts

Richard Knight

Francis Vijay

Ronald E Cambron

Frank J McManus

A vacuum-assisted venous drainage reservoir for cardiopulmonary bypass surgery with both hard and soft shell reservoirs. The system utilizes a wall vacuum or other source of negative pressure to create a negative pressure via a regulator within a sealed hard shell reservoir, or within a sealed housing surrounding a soft shell reservoir. The addition of a negative pressure in the venous return line enables the use of smaller cannulas suitable for minimally invasive surgery. The reservoir need not be positioned well below the patient as in conventional gravity venous drainage configurations, thus adding flexibility to the operating room layout and enabling a reduction in the extracorporeal blood prime volume needed. In one embodiment, a flexible membrane in the hard shell reservoir expands to contact the blood surface and reduce blood/air interactions. In another embodiment, a moisture trap is provided between the source of vacuum and hard shell reservoir to reduce environmental contamination. A volume sensor for the hard shell reservoir may be used in a feedback loop for controlling the vacuum, circulation pump, or other device. A pressure relief valve may be included in both systems for safety, and a vacuum stabilizer reduces the severity of large changes in vacuum pressure. A piece of air-permeable material may form a portion of the soft shell reservoir to vent air from within.

Vacuum-assisted venous drainage system with rigid housing and flexible reservoir

Vacuum-assisted venous drainage reservoir for CPB systems

A bone marrow infuser has an intraosseous cannula, a hand driver, and a pointed stylet attached to the hand driver. The hand driver can mechanically couple with the intraosseous cannula so that the stylet point protrudes from an opening at the end of the intraosseous cannula. A method of bone marrow infusion has a first step of puncturing the skin with the point of the stylet, a second step of embedding the cannula into the bone, a third step of removing the stylet from the cannula and attaching the catheter to the cannula, a fourth step of applying pressure to compress the skin, flesh, and bone, and a final step of infusing fluids into the bone marrow.

Bone marrow infuser and method of use

A cannula assembly suitable for rapid, closed-chest cannulation of the cardiopulmonary system to an extracorporeal bypass machine through punctures in the femoral veins and arteries is disclosed. The assembly comprises a conduit made of a smooth, flexible, thin-walled material and capable of longitudinal insertion through these vessels by use of an associated 'introducer' and conventional guide wire. The conduit has adequate hemodynamic flow capacity and sufficient unsupported hoop strength to resist collapse from suctional and vasoconstrictive forces during use.

Vascular cannulae for transfemoral cardiopulmonary bypass and method of

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Ken Litzie