A needle guide assembly for inserting a needle into the body of a patient in order to access a subcutaneous target, such as a vessel, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the needle guide assembly comprises a needle guide body that is configured to at least indirectly and removably attach to an image producing device, such as an ultrasound probe. The needle guide body defines at least first and second elongate guide channels. Each guide channel defines a unique insertion angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the ultrasound probe. Further, each guide channel is configured to accept needles of differing gauges. In other embodiments other needle guide assemblies are disclosed that include multiple guide channels for inserting a needle at a variety of insertion angles into the patient's body. Related methods are also disclosed. In yet other embodiments, needle guide assemblies including needle stop features are disclosed.

Ultrasound scanners that are initialized and placed to the side in a sterile bag for use in a sterile environment may suffer overheating and cut out early, because the bag represents a poor cooling environment. The rate of increase in temperature of a scanner is monitored and a determination is made as to whether the scanner is in a regular environment or a poor cooling environment. If the scanner is in a poor cooling environment, the scanner is switched from a regular state of operation to a poor cooling state of operation. In the poor cooling state of operation, the scanner settings consume less power and generate less heat on the whole than the regular scanner settings. The scanner reverts to higher power settings as and when needed to perform the desired scan. The user interface on an associated display device also changes in response to the scanner entering the poor cooling state of operation.

An ultrasound probe hanger includes a stem, shoulders, arms, and a probe holder. The shoulders are arranged generally perpendicular to the stem and are connected to a proximal end of the stem. The arms are arranged generally parallel to each other and to the stem. The arms are connected at upper ends to outer shoulder ends of the shoulders. The probe holder includes outer side portions, a rear portion, a partially open front portion, and four protrusions. The outer side portions are each connected to lower ends of the arms. The rear portion extends between the outer side portions. The partially-open front portion includes outer front portions each extending from the outer side portions and defining a central front open portion. The four protrusions are arranged in a rectangle on an inside surface of the probe holder and are configured to suspend a wireless ultrasound probe within the probe holder.

A catheter holder includes an attachment section configured to be attachable to a holder tube that accommodates at least a portion of a sheath of an image diagnosis catheter in a wound state, a support section extending from the attachment section in a direction away from the wound holder tube, and a fixing section provided on a second end side of the support section, which is opposite to a first end side of the support section on which the attachment section is provided, and configured to fix a unit connector and a hub of the image diagnosis catheter to hold the outer tube, which is exposed from an opening portion of the holder tube, in a linear shape to be fixed in position.

A protective cover set for a medical probe that includes a joint that seals both a moisture resistant probe cover and a surrounding wrapper that provides a barrier against microbial intrusion into the space between the outer wrapper and the probe cover. The sealed joint fixes the probe cover in place in relation to the outer wrapper. In some examples, the sealed joint secures a prefabricated probe cover with a three-dimensional non-planar shape in relation to the outer wrapper.

Disclosed are ultrasound devices and methods for use in guiding a subdermal probe during a medical procedure. A device can be utilized to guide a probe through the probe guide to a subdermal site. In addition, a device can include a detector in communication with a processor. The detector can recognize the location of a target associated with the probe. The processor can utilize the data from the detector and create an image of a virtual probe that can accurately portray the location of the actual probe on a sonogram of a subdermal area. In addition, disclosed systems can include a set of correlation factors in the processor instructions. As such, the virtual probe image can be correlated with the location of the actual probe.

The present invention is: a blood flow sensor that sandwiches a longitudinal-direction section of a blood vessel of a subject, from the outer circumference of such section, to generate an electrical signal corresponding to the blood flow; and a blood flow measurement instrument that processes the electrical signal from the blood flow sensor and converts the signal to an electrical signal indicating blood flow. The blood flow sensor and the blood flow measurement instrument are provided with connectors so as to be mechanically and electrically separable from each other.

A deep vein intravenous introducer has a wheel located toward the front end of the device that can be rotated by the index finger of the user. After placement of the needle in the lumen of the vessel, the user rotates the wheel, which advances the wire guide through the center of the needle and into the patient. Once the guide wire is advanced into the vessel lumen the catheter can be advanced over the guide wire with a hub or finger tab on the catheter close to the index finger. The operation can be performed by one hand without moving the hand from its initial position. The user can then simultaneously use the other hand to operate an ultrasound detection device during insertion without the assistance of another person.

A transient elastography probe includes a probe body; an ultrasound transducer configured to generate an ultrasound beam along an axis, the ultrasound beam being generated from a face of the ultrasound transducer; a vibrator located inside the probe body and arranged so as to induce a movement of the ultrasound transducer along a predefined axis; the ultrasound transducer being mounted on the vibrator so that the predefined axis and the axis of the ultrasound beam coincide with each other, and a sealing membrane hugging the outer contours of the ultrasound transducer.

The invention relates to a molded gel body (1), the production thereof and the use thereof in ultrasonography in the medical or dental field. In particular, the molded gel body (1) is used to detect and localize dental cavities in the jawbone by means of through-transmission alveolar ultrasonography (TAU). The molded gel body (1) has a receptacle (2) for receiving an ultrasound transmitter and/or receiver (7). The molded gel body (1) and the receptacle (2) are preferably adapted to the shape of the ultrasound transmitter and/or receiver. For easier handling, the molded gel body (1) is inserted into a flexible, biocompatible protective cover (6) which, like the receptacle (2), can be filled with a non-dimensionally stable ultrasound gel. To produce the molded gel body (1), cuboids of a dimensionally stable gel of the appropriate size are preferably cut open over the narrow lateral surfaces of the cuboid, but preferably not completely cut through and only over three of the four sides to produce the receptacle (2) or, if not completely cut open, closed or glued on the edges only over two of the four sides.