Apex Medical Technologies, Inc.

Other

Lrc Products Limited

Regent Medical Limited

Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

I-flow Corporation Inc.

Mark W McGlothlin

Eric V Schmid

Scott Herrick

Scott W Herrick

Alice A DePaul

Andrew I Schneider

Whitney A Williams

Brian P Watschke

Pore-free rubber articles are prepared by dip-molding in a dipping medium that includes a vulcanizing agent, then partially-cured by immersing the dip former in a heated liquid bath that is chemically inert. A particularly effective liquid bath is a molten, nitrite free inorganic salt. The partially-cured rubber is then maintained at a desired curing temperature in a low/no oxygen heating oven to complete curing. Alternatively, upon removal from the molten salt bath, the latex film is quenched.

Vulcanization of dip-molded rubber articles with reduced molten media bath times

A method of manufacturing a glove that includes discrete elements and component systems, such as, but not limited to, lights, electrical cautery, suction, and irrigation, attached to the surgical glove. The gloves produced by this method can be used as surgical gloves or for other industrial applications. In a particular application, the method includes providing a former comprising a hand-shaped portion and a first surgical system comprising a first surgical instrument, and a first switch for controlling the first surgical system. The former includes a first depression for receiving the first surgical system. The first depression is adapted to produce an interference fit with at least a portion of the first surgical system. The first surgical system can be loaded into the first depression and a polymer coating can be applied over the loaded former to form a surgical glove.

Method of making polymeric gloves having embedded surgical support systems and discrete elements

A surgical system that includes a surgical glove configured to be removably attached to a human hand is disclosed. The surgical glove can include a first surgical instrument attached to the surgical glove, where the first surgical instrument is nonremoveably, integrally attached to the surgical glove during the formation of the surgical glove, and where the first surgical instrument is coupled to a finger of the surgical glove; a first switch attached to the surgical glove for controlling the first surgical support system; and a first actuating element attached to a thumb of the surgical glove. The first actuating element can be a discrete element. The first switch can be actuated when the first actuating element is placed in close proximity to the first switch, and a thumb of said surgical glove can be free of surgical support systems.

Surgical glove systems and method of using the same

An internal bladder agitator member(s), which are free to travel in the retained fluid when the bladders are in the filled state. When the bladders are not inflated, the agitator member(s) take up some of the free internal space of the bladder core, resulting in reduced retained fluid volume at the end of an infusion cycle. The free floating bladder agitator member(s) act in the dual role of elastomeric bladder support member(s) and agitator/mixer(s).

Medicinal liquid infuser with integral agitator means

Elastic housing for infusion device

Thin-walled rubber articles for use contact with living tissue or with materials to be delivered to living tissue are prepared from aqueous latex of either natural rubber or synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene by vulcanization to produce both carbon-carbon and carbon-(sulfur)-carbon crosslinks, the vulcanization being performed in the absence of any compounding components that contain secondary amine groups or any components that have a tendency to produce nitrosamines. While sulfur activators may be included, it is preferable that no sulfur accelerators at all be included. Thin-walled rubber articles formed from the latex surprisingly exhibit a combination of high tensile strength, high ultimate percent elongation, and low 500% tensile modulus. The process is particularly effective in the manufacture of thin-walled articles from synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene.

Accelerator-free thin-walled rubber vulcanizates from latex

Natural rubber and/or synthetic polyisoprene film products having enhanced tear strength and tensile strength crosslinked with a one polynitrile oxide, intended for direct or indirect contact with living tissue or fluids to be placed in living organisms.

Thin walled polynitrile oxide crosslinked rubber film products and methods of manufacture thereof

Pore-free rubber articles are prepared by dip-molding in a dipping medium that includes a vulcanizing agent, then by immersing the dip former in a heated liquid bath that is chemically inert. A particularly effective liquid bath is molten inorganic salt. In addition, the tensile properties of an article of vulcanized rubber can be improved to an unusually effective degree by immersing the already vulcanized article in a solution of a vulcanizing agent to cause the rubber of the article to absorb or imbibe the vulcanizing agent from the solution, and then immersing the rubber and the imbibed vulcanizing agent in a heated liquid bath to increase the degree of vulcanization.

Vulcanization of dip-molded rubber articles with molten media baths

Medical devices of synthetic rubber are prepared from cis-1,4-polyisoprene by dip molding without the use of sulfur containing components. The devices have surprisingly favorable tensile characteristics despite what is known in regard to synthetic cis-1,4-polyisoprene. In addition, the absence of both the proteins present in natural rubber and the sulfur components that are typically used in vulcanization of both natural rubber and cis-1,4-polyisoprene of the prior art renders the devices freely usable without causing the user to suffer Type I or Type IV allergic reactions that typically arise from contact with natural rubber.

Dip-molded medical devices from cis-1,4-polyisoprene

Rubbery polymers in hydrocarbon solutions are emulsified in aqueous liquids and converted to latices by partitioning the emulsion through a membrane of selective permeability to the hydrocarbon solvent relative to both water and the polymer, thereby removing the hydrocarbon solvent from the emulsion. The foaming that is often associated with removing hydrocarbon solvent from aqueous emulsions by conventional means is thus avoided. Membrane partitioning mechanisms that are useful for this application include those involving both nonporous and microporous membranes, those passing the solvent both as a liquid and as a gas, those drawing off the permeate as both a liquid and a gas, and various combinations of these methods.

Latices from emulsified hydrocarbon rubber solutions by membrane

Gas is generated at a controlled rate from a liquid and solid phase combination that generated gas upon contact, by using diffusive transport of the liquid toward the solid phase surface to prolong the rate of gas generation, with a variety of alternatives for controlling the rate of diffusive transport. This system is useful in infusion devices for delivering medications or other beneficial liquids from a retaining pouch at controlled rates over a prolonged period of time.

Controlled gas generation for gas-driven infusion devices

A method of producing ammonia water (aqua ammonia) by means of desorbing an ammonia laden sorbent, preferably a zeolite molecular sieve or silica gel into water. The method includes placing an activated sorbent material into a sealed vessel, such as a pressure pot, and exposing it to ammonia gas for a period of time. After loading by exposure to ammonia gas, the loaded sorbent is then placed into an air and water tight container for storage. The pouch can be stored for extended lengths of time prior to use of the contents. When ready for use, the contents of the pouch are dropped into a container of water. In one preferred use of the loaded sorbents, the container of water is a toilet bowl. In another preferred embodiment, the container is a separate disposal pouch, such as a small plastic bag capable of holding an ostomy pouch, sanitary napkin or incontinence pad. After use, the ostomy pouch or other device can be made to dissolve by placing the used pouch in ammonia water at a pH of 10.3 or higher.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Mark W McGlothlin