The Cooper Companies Global Holdings LP

Smiths Group Plc

Smiths Medical International Limited

Other

Stephen James Field

Timothy Bateman

Thomas Cuthbert Mills

Richard Hingley

Stephen James Lodge

Eric Pagan

Andrew Crisman

Andrew Thomas Jeffrey

John Edward Nash

Alysa Lauren Granata

Christopher John Woosnam

Giles Andrew Bishop

Christopher John Woosnman

Kester Julian Batchelor

Neil Adam Tookman

Neil Steven Veasey

Andrew James Lee

Alan Neame Simon

Tina Greathouse

J Michael Kennelly

Jonathan Peter Hughes

A paediatric tracheostomy tube is provided in two parts. One part is a patient end portion () having a silicone shaft () arranged to locate in the trachea. The machine end is formed with a mounting flange () adapted to lie against the neck and has a low profile coupling () on its machine side. The other part is a machine end portion () having a flexible, corrugated shaft (') of polypropylene with a low profile coupling () at its patient end adapted to engage the coupling () on the flange as a twist fit. The machine end of the machine end portion () has a tapered male coupling () adapted to fit with a female coupling on a breathing tube, the male coupling having a larger profile than the coupling () on the patient end of the machine end portion () and the coupling () on the flange.

Tracheal tube and method of assembling a tracheostomy tube

A needle assembly has a needle having an echogenic feature proximate to its distal sharp tip mounted to an echogenic cannula, with the echogenic tip of the needle extending beyond the distal end of the cannula. The echogenic tip provides guidance for the movement of the needle assembly under ultrasound observation so that the needle assembly may be more readily maneuvered inside a body. Once correctly positioned, the needle is removed and further confirmation may be made under ultrasound observation that the cannula has been correctly positioned inside the body. The echogenic feature of the needle may be at least one spiral groove that is tilted at an angle relative to the tip of the needle to effect a substantially 180° reflection of the ultrasound. An alternative echogenic feature to improve reflected echogeneity has crisscrossing grooves each having a predetermined pitch density formed at a neutral position on the needle.

Echogenic needle assemblies and method of use thereof

A tracheostomy tube assembly includes an outer tube () and an inner cannula () removably inserted in the outer tube. The connector () on the machine end of the outer tube is rotatable through about a quarter turn and has a screw thread () on its inner surface. The hub () on the machine end of the inner cannula () is also formed with a screw thread () arranged to engage with the screw thread () in the connector. The inner cannula () is pulled into the outer tube (), or is pushed outwardly of the tube, by rotating the connector.

Tracheostomy tube assemblies and inner cannulae

An embryo transfer catheter or other medical device has a shaft extruded with two layers. The outer layer is relatively thick and contains gas bubbles sufficient to increase the visibility of the catheter under ultrasound observation but with a density that allows material within the catheter to be viewed by the eye. The inner layer is relatively thin and is free of bubbles so that it provides a smooth bore to the catheter.

Medical devices

An embryo transfer syringe has a roller coupled with the rear end of its plunger. The roller is displaceable along an elongate housing extending from the rear of the barrel of the syringe. The roller can be manually engaged through a slot along the housing to rotate it and roll it along the housing thereby smoothly and controllably displacing the plunger.

Syringe assemblies

An embryo replacement catheter has a flexible extruded shaft of a transparent polyurethane with a bore extending along its length. Gas bubbles of a diameter in the range 5&#x3bc; to 10&#x3bc; are incorporated into the thickness of the wall of the shaft by adding gas during extrusion. The bubbles are selected to increase the visibility of the catheter under ultrasound imaging whilst still enabling material flowing along the catheter to be seen.

Medico&#x2014;surgical devices

An embryo transfer syringe has a roller () coupled with the rear end of its plunger (). The roller () is displaceable along an elongate housing () extending from the rear of the barrel () of the syringe. The roller () can be manually engaged through a slot () along the housing () to rotate it and roll it along the housing thereby smoothly and controllably displacing the plunger ().

Medico-surgical devices

An embryo replacement catheter has a flexible extruded shaft of a transparent polyurethane with a bore extending along its length. Gas bubbles of a diameter in the range 5.0 mu. to 10.0 mu. are incorporated into the thickness of the wall of the shaft by adding gas during extrusion. The bubbles are selected to increase the visibility of the catheter under ultrasound imaging whilst still enabling material flowing along the catheter to be seen. The inventive catheter is not confined to embryo replacement catheters.

Medical-surgical devices

An embryo replacement catheter has a flexible extruded shaft of a transparent polyurethane with a bore extending along its length. Gas bubbles of a diameter in the range 5 .mu. to 10 .mu. are incorporated into the thickness of the wall of the shaft by adding gas during extrusion. The bubbles are selected to increase the visibility of the catheter under ultrasound imaging while still enabling material flowing along the catheter to be seen. The inventive catheter is not confined to embryo replacement catheters.

A tracheostomy tube has an inner skeletal frame () of a relatively stiff plastics material having a longitudinal spine () and several annular ribs () extending around the frame. A thin, flexible plastics sheath () is bonded to the outside of the frame (). The construction enables a maximum internal diameter with a minimum external diameter.

Tracheostomy tubes

A tracheal tube () or laryngeal mask has a sealing cuff () with a surface covered by a brush-like material () provided by closely-packed fibers () between 1 mm and 5 mm in length. The brush-like surface () may be provided by coating the surface with an adhesive and using an electrostatic charge to draw fibers () to adhere to the adhesive.

A needle assembly comprises a metal needle () with a hub () and a marker in the form of a bubble-filled plastics rod () inserted within the needle. The rod () makes the assembly more visible under ultrasound observation when confirming correct placement of the needle () and is subsequently removed when correct placement has been confirmed.

Growing community of inventors

Canterbury, United Kingdom

Stephen James Field