Baxter International Inc.

Hughes Aircraft Company

Other

Hemascience Laboratories, Inc.

Ico, Inc.

Gridart, LLC

Paul R Prince

Donald W Schoendorfer

Shmuel Sternberg

Michael O Pekkarinen

David Bellamy, Jr

Michael G Ford

Ronald L Clark

Phillip Benjamin Guerra

Robert N Sato

William R Miller

Grant S Benjamin

Warren P Williamson, Iv

Mary Von Lortz

Phillip B Guerra

William D Callaway

Robin Huff

Bernard J Skehan

Jay M Hansen

A medication loader is disclosed for quickly loading medications into medication organizers such as seven-day pillboxes. Seven pills are quickly isolated and trapped as the excess pills are held separately and then blocked while the trapped pills are directed into the seven chambers of the organizer.

Medication loader for a medication organizer

Loader for a medication organizer

An oral airway for insertion into a mouth and pharynx of a patient to provide a breathing pathway and for cooperating with either an anesthesia breathing connector, a suction tube, or a nasal cannula. The oral airway includes a first tubular member, a second tubular member disposed within the first tubular member, and a connector configured to securely attach to both the first tubular member and the second tubular member. The connector includes a first portion in fluid communication with the first tubular member and a second portion in fluid communication with the second tubular member.

Oral airway

An oral airway for insertion into the mouth and pharynx of a patient is disclosed and adapted to connect to an anesthesia breathing connector, a suction tube, or a nasal cannula, interchangeably as needed, without necessitating the removal of the oral airway from the patient. A tubular member has a connector at a proximal end and includes a first portion that is adapted for fixing with the anesthesia breathing connector. A second portion of the connector is adapted for receiving the suction tube. At least one protuberance between the first and second portions receives and retains a portion of the nasal cannula, or alternately, at least one aperture is included in the second portion for receiving a portion of the nasal cannula. A mouth guard extends outwardly from the connector. Alternately, a suction tube guide within the tubular member may be slidably positionable between a retracted and extended position.

A system for sketching, illustrating, drawing or painting likeness compositions such as canvas oil paintings from source images includes a set of increasing size reusable overlayable source image grids with image composition frames used with corresponding destination canvas grid patterns, allowing a consistent grid pattern for all canvas sizes by using predetermined grid dimensions for each canvas size. The image grid patterns may be affixed to clear plastic sheets or may be software-generated patterns. This combination greatly simplifies the use of grids in artwork and provides low-cost timesaving methods to draw accurate perspective. The system includes a unique canvas grid ruler for simplifying generation of canvas grid lines and in some embodiments canvases are pre-printed or backside-shadowed with appropriate canvas grid patterns and labels.

Drawing aid

A method and apparatus for filtering suspensions of medical and biological fluids, one aspect of which is separating a suspension comprising at least two types of particles which are differently sized or shaped and in which the first type of particle may be deformable at a relatively lower force and/or faster rate than the second type of particle. A filter member is provided having substantially precisely dimensioned pore sizes, with the pores being dimensioned to allow passage of the first type of suspended particle without distortion or only minimal distortion and passage of the second type of particle only with substantial distortion. Because the filter membrane has precisely dimensioned pores, with spacing between the pores being maintained despite the smaller interval between the pores, the porosity of the membrane may be much greater than nominal pore size membranes, allowing faster filtration rates and/or smaller membranes for a given filtration rate, while reducing the exposure time of the cells within the shear environment, and consequently reducing particle damage. Various methods for preventing clogging of the membrane are also disclosed.

Method and apparatus for filtering suspensions of medical and biological fluids or the like

An apparatus is disclosed for separating a suspension comprising at least two types of particles which are differently sized or shaped and in which the first type of particle may be deformable at a relatively lower force or faster rate than the second type of particle. A housing is provided having a generally cylindrical inner surface in which is mounted a rotor having a generally cylindrical outer surface. The outer surface of the rotor is spaced from the inner surface of the housing to define a suspension processing gap. A filter membrane is provided on the surface of the rotor or the housing that has pores with substantially precisely dimensioned shapes and sizes to correspond substantially to the shape of the first type of particle, thus allowing passage of the first type of particle and blocking passage of the second type of particle. A suspension is directed into the processing gap for either a selected residence time in contact with the filter membrane and/or at a selected force.

Method and apparatus for filtering suspension of medical and biological fluids or the like

A telephone line testing device detects the integrity of a telephone loop connected to a subscriber's modular telephone jack. The device includes a modular connector at a far end of a flexible electrically conductive cable, the other end of the cable terminating in a circuit enclosure housing a testing circuit. The testing circuit, when connected through the cable and modular connector to the telephone line, presents a low impedance to the line, drawing the line &ldquo;offhook.&rdquo; The testing circuit then tests the current potential of the line, and, if the current is excessive, presents a visual indication thereof. If the tip and ring signals of the telephone loop are reversed, reverse polarity is visually indicated. Otherwise, if the tested current falls within a predefined acceptable range, a visual indication that the telephone line is in working order is provided.

Telephone line testing device

A method and system for calibrating and controlling the withdrawal of a fluid, such as blood, from a fluid source, such as a blood vessel, includes a fluid pump, a pressure sensor, a flow rate sensor, and a microprocessor based flow control subsystem. The flow control subsystem optimizes the flow rate by sensing zero flow rate pressure within the subject, making a plurality of periodic flow path pressure measurements and extrapolating a calibration flow rate curve. A control curve is generated by utilizing the zero-flow rate pressure point, the slope of the calibration curve, and an empirically predetermined pressure. The blood pump is then operated at a maximum speed that is limited by the flow control curve to maximize flow without occlusion or collapse of the blood vessel during blood withdrawal. The method and system of the invention is particularly applicable to automated apheresis systems.

Blood extraction flow control calibration system and method

A system is provided for weighing and monitoring flow from multiple fluid sources into a flow system wherein incoming fluid is received in a weighing bag attached to a control system for monitoring the amount of fluid passed through the weighing bag and for preventing admission of air into the flow system. An alarm attached to the weighing bag warns when fluid in the weighing bag is approaching empty, so that the fluid in the weighing bag can be replenished from the fluid source before the weighing bag runs dry. If fluid in the weighing bag is not replenished, the system automatically shuts down. The fluid pump can be absolutely calibrated using the controlled admission of known amounts of fluid into the weighing bag so that the amount of fluid introduced into the flow system through the weighing bag can be calculated automatically.

Multiple fluid source isolation, metering and alarm system and method

Blood separation is accomplished by alternately extracting blood from and reinfusing blood into a donor by way of a single needle while simultaneously and continuously separating the extracted blood into constituents. A harness set applicable to a hemapheresis instrument includes a dual-compartment reservoir. A first compartment stores blood during extraction for supply to the separator during reinfusion. The second compartment stores packed cells during collection for return to the donor during reinfusion. The collection and reinfusion cycles are alternated rapidly to preclude clotting in the un-anticoagulated portion of the harness tubing between the venepuncture needle and the Y-connection with the anticoagulant line.

Single needle continuous hemapheresis apparatus and methods

A method and system for adaptively controlled withdrawal/infusion of a fluid, such as blood, to or from a fluid source, such as a blood vessel. An adaptive flow rate limit is established and periodically adjusted during the course of withdrawal/infusion so as to maximize and optimize the withdrawal/infusion rate while, at the same time, providing for rapid corrective adjustments in flow rate responsive to early indications of flow disruption, such as occlusion or collapse of the blood vessel during blood withdrawal. The method and system of the invention is particularly applicable to automated apheresis systems.

Blood extraction and reinfusion flow control system and method

A simplified fluid separation method and device usable for various apheresis procedures, including plasmapheresis. At least one pump is utilized to draw a first fluid (e.g. whole blood) into a separation device. The separation device then operates to separate the fluid (e.g. whole blood) into first and second fluid fractions (e.g. a cell concentrate and blood plasma). The first and second fluid fractions are pumped from the separation device to separate first and second fluid fraction containers, both of which are positioned on a single weighing device, such as an electronic load cell. At least one of the fluid fractions is subsequently removed from its fluid fraction container and returned to the human subject or other fluid source. Weights recorded by the single weighing device are then utilized to calculate the actual weights of fluid and/or fluid fractions pumped by at least one pump during the procedure. Such actual weights of fluid and/or fluid fractions are then utilized to calculate new pump flow constants, thereby enabling the calibration of the pump(s) to be corrected, on the basis of such new pump flow constants, prior to subsequent utilization of the pump(s) for pumping the fluid and/or fluid fractions. The single weighing device may also be utilized to monitor the weight change or rate of weight change occurring as the fluid fractions are pumped into and/or out of the fluid fraction containers, thereby providing a means for monitoring and verifying the pressures and flow rates within the system.

Apheresis method and device

An adaptive filter concentrate flow control system and method includes a filter system, a pumping system driving feed fluid, concentrate and filtrate flowing through the filter system and a flow control system controlling the pumping system to maintain optimum filtrate flow rates or minimum feed flow rates along a control surface in a three dimensional transmembrane pressure--feed fluid rate--filtrate flow rate space. Actual sensed operating point data is used to locate the control surface so as to assure an optimized filtrate flow rate or minimized feed flow rate at which reversible blocking of the membrane has begun to occur without irreversible blocking or plugging. The system is advantageously employed to control and maximize the flow of plasma in a plasmapheresis system or to minimize the rate at which blood is withdrawn from a donor and introduced into the system while achieving a fixed rate of plasma flow.

Growing community of inventors

San Juan Capistrano, CA, United States of America

Paul R Prince