Drexel University

P & D Medical Coatings, Inc.

Other

United States of America As Represented by the Food & Drug Administration

Richard B Beard

Kambiz Pourrezaei

Robert E Schmukler

Raymond L Boxman

Mark DeLaurentis

Frederick Prout

Banu Onaral

Shengke Zeng

Siddharth Deliwala

Kevin J Scoles

Allen Rothwarf

Herman P Schwan

Jin Park

Frederick C Prout

Irina Shvets

Frank M Kepics

Saleem Hasan

Golf ball marker

Golf tee

Poker chip

The invention includes apparatus and method for detecting defects in various barrier materials including surgical gloves and food packaging. Voltage is applied across electrodes and a barrier material and the voltage measured and compared with voltage control measurements for the same barrier material without a defect. Sensitivity of measurements is increased by adjusting partial pressure across the barrier material which is subjected to the passage of an ionized gas detected by suitable instrumentation.

Detection of defects in protective barriers

Catheters and other medical devices include plural layers of metals applied to the outer surfaces, which tend to close minuscule cracks through which corrosion may attack the underlying support. In some avatars, the initial layer of material is preferably silver, applied following specific preparation steps. In other embodiments, succeeding layers of metal completely cover the initial layer, and are also of silver. The succeeding layers are deposited after deposition of the prior layer, and tend to reduce the incidence of microscopic pores or cracks and are less prone to delamination. The succeeding layers are preferably of mutually different metals between layers. In a particular avatar, in which the exposed metals are oligodynamic silver and more noble platinum, the exposed silver layer lies over a portion of the platinum layer, to thereby prevent corrosion of the silver layer from disconnecting portions of the silver layer. Fabrication methods include deposition of successive layers by means of sputtering in a longitudinal array of cylindrical magnetron sections, in which each section applies one layer of the coating over the coating applied by the preceding section. The magnetron sections may be energized and deenergized in a temporal pattern associated with the progress of the workpiece material through the array, to thereby cover or expose particular longitudinal layers. In some embodiments, a first layer of electrically conductive material is deposited by electroless methods particularly in the lumen, following which additional layers may be applied by conventional electrolytic deposition. An electroless method according to the invention includes preparation steps which may include ultrasonically cleaning the surface with a solution of isopropyl alcohol, then drying the surface with a stream of dry gas, and etching the surface with a solution of sodium naphthalene in diethylene glycol dimethyl ether.

Method for fabrication of metallized medical devices

A urinary catheter and system includes a catheter with a drain lumen which is coated with oligodynamic metal and preferably arranged with a coating of a more noble metal for creating an iontophoretic galvanic couple, which drives antimicrobial ions into solution. The exterior of the catheter is also coated in a similar manner to inhibit microbes migrating toward the bladder along the outer surface of the catheter. The system includes a flow rate control device which may be a one-way valve, a filter or both. A collection bag is coupled to the control device. The interconnecting hoses, the flow rate control device(s) and the collection bag are also coated on the interior with oligodynamic metal, preferably silver, and also with a more noble metal, preferably platinum.

Urinary catheter and system

A method of fabricating micron-range holes in elastic barrier materials which involves securing an elastic barrier material to a restraining ring and removing a limited portion of the elastic barrier material so as to form a hole having a diameter of less than 0.5 to 10 .mu.m. The portion of the elastic barrier material which is removed may be removed by a drilling, punching or clipping process.

Fabrication of micron-range holes in protective barriers and

A method and apparatus for the non-destructive testing of a protective baer material. In a preferred embodiment, the method comprises applying an alternating electrical current across the protective barrier material for establishing a conductivity, G, of the protective barrier material and/or a quality factor, Q, of the protective barrier material. The conductivity, G, and/or the quality factor, Q, are measured at more than one frequency. The quality factor and/or conductivity measurements so obtained at the more than one frequency are compared to predetermined quality factor and/or conductivity limits.

Method and apparatus for testing a protective barrier material for

An improved method of orthondontic electroosteogenesis comprises providing a biocompatible anode having a noble metal portion in engagement with an electrolytic gel portion comprising agarose and an electrolyte, where the anode gel portion is in engagement with epithelial gingiva at an area of osteoclastic or osteoblastic activity, and a biocompatible cathode having a noble metal portion in engagement with an electrolytic gel portion comprising agarose, an electrolyte, and a weak, biocompatible acid, where the cathode gel portion is in engagement with epithelial gingiva at an area of osteoblastic or osteoclastic activity. Electric current is then applied across the anode and cathode to stimulate osteogenesis. The invention also comprises biocompatible electrodes for electric stimulation of tissue.

Biocompatible electrode and use in orthodontic electroosteogenesis

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Atco, NJ, United States of America

Richard B Beard