The disclosure relates to an assembly for storing, dispensing, disposing, and shipping medical products such as sharps or pharmaceuticals. The assembly includes an outer container, an inner container, a unit configured for storing and dispensing unused medical products such as sharps or pharmaceuticals, and for receiving used medical sharps or unused pharmaceuticals. The inner container is adapted to receive the unit, and the outer container is adapted to receive the inner container.

A medical tray (10) is adapted to receive a medical instrument (90) and has one or more longitudinally extending instrument receiving recesses (22) adapted to receive at least a part of the medical instrument (90), one or more instrument support members (30, 32, 36, 38, 40, 82) and at least one instrument access opening, slot or recess (86) at a longitudinal end of a peripheral wall, whereby the instrument (90) may be located longitudinally in the tray (10) with at least part (92) of the instrument supported on one or more instrument support members (30, 32, 36, 38, 40, 82), another part (94) may extend out of the tray via the instrument access opening (86) with a cutting edge or point of the medical instrument located in at least one instrument receiving recess (22).

Devices associated with on-body analyte sensor units are disclosed. These devices include any of packaging and/or loading systems, applicators and elements of the on-body sensor units themselves. Also, various approaches to connecting electrochemical analyte sensors to and/or within associated on-body analyte sensor units are disclosed. The connector approaches variously involve the use of unique sensor and ancillary element arrangements to facilitate assembly of separate electronics assemblies and sensor elements that are kept apart until the end user brings them together.

A modular storage system is described for storing and/or shielding a hypodermic needle which includes a modular needle container element for storing and/or shielding a hypodermic needles. The system includes a compartment for storing the needle, defined by first and second walls configured to be end walls, and a front wall and a rear wall extending between the first and second walls; each of the first and second walls has an outer surface directed away from the compartment, and each of the first and second walls include either a male connector on the outer surface of the wall or a female connector extending through the wall. The male connector includes a clip arm and the female connector includes a slot, such that the male connector is configured for engagement in a snap-fit manner to the female connector in the first or second wall of a second container element.

Devices associated with on-body analyte sensor units are disclosed. These devices include any of packaging and/or loading systems, applicators and elements of the on-body sensor units themselves. Also, various approaches to connecting electrochemical analyte sensors to and/or within associated on-body analyte sensor units are disclosed. The connector approaches variously involve the use of unique sensor and ancillary element arrangements to facilitate assembly of separate electronics assemblies and sensor elements that are kept apart until the end user brings them together.

A system and method to remind acupuncturists to remove all needles from patients after acupuncture treatments. The system includes: a container for acupuncture needles, with at least three divided compartments: a first compartment for new acupuncture needle packages; a second compartment for used acupuncture needles; a third compartment for needle packaging materials; and an electronic weighing device to weigh the container with or without load. The method includes: loading enough new needle packages in the container; measuring the weight of the container and its load and displaying the total weight; automatic detection and warning of overload; automatic detecting whether the reset key has been pressed before acupuncture treatment; when the reset key is pressed, recording the current load value as the baseline weight and setting the relative reading to zero and displaying it on a screen; continuing to measure the weight of the container and its load; if the reading varies, determining whether the change of reading is caused by system drift or by the actual change of load; if the change of the readings is caused by system drift, automatically cancelling the drift value; displaying the difference between the measured weight and the reset baseline value on the display screen; based on the difference, reminding the acupuncturist to remove all the acupuncture needles from patients after the treatment before discharging the patient. The present invention solves the problem of leaving needles on the patient's body or on treatment tables, which often happens in the current practice of acupuncture and could lead to malpractice lawsuit.

A cover for magnetizing a shaft of a tissue-penetrating medical device is disclosed including a sleeve member having a hollow body to form a protective closure over the shaft of the tissue-penetrating medical device. The proximal end of the hollow body provides a receiving space for receiving the shaft of the tissue-penetrating medical device. One or more magnet is disposed on the sleeve member. A magnetic shield composed of one or more shielding materials associated with the cover that minimizes any effects to the clinical environment from magnetic fields generated within the cover. Medical devices, assemblies and methods of magnetizing the shaft of a tissue-penetrating medical device using the cover are also disclosed.

A suturing system including an elongate distal member, an elongate proximal member proximal the elongate distal member, and a needle guide disposed between the elongate distal member and the elongate proximal member. A plurality of needles with a needle tip of each needle of the plurality of needles are orientated generally proximally toward a single opening in a distal end of the elongate proximal member. When the needle tip of each of the plurality of needles is at least partially disposed within the single opening, a portion of each needle of the plurality of needles, proximal a distal end of the needle guide, being radially separated by a distance less than a diameter of the elongated proximal member.

A system for detecting disposal of metallic objects into an opening of a medical waste container, including: an indicator for indicating passage of metallic objects through the opening, a pair of receive coils and a transmit coil spaced therebetween shaped for receiving waste therethrough adjacent to the opening, and a controller in electrical communication with the coils. The controller generates and communicates a transmit signal to the transmit coil, which generates a magnetic field that induces voltage in each of the receive coils, which each generate a receive signal. The controller generates a waveform based on the receive signals with a baseline corresponding to absence of metallic objects, and analyzes the waveform with respect to opposite first and second thresholds. The controller activates the indicator in response to metallic objects passing through the coils when the waveform first exceeds the first threshold and then subsequently exceeds the second threshold.

A tool system for the repair of joint articular cartilage defects is disclosed. The tool system may include a non-trephine cutting tool, having a handle coupled to a movable support and a cutter section, coupled to the handle. The cutter section has a closed geometric peripheral shape sized to surround a lesion in cartilage of an articular joint. The cutter section also has a cutting edge that is sufficiently sharp to cut, by the application of force normal to the cutting edge, through cartilage surrounding a joint articular cartilage lesion from a repair site while having insubstantial effect on subchondral bone underlying the cartilage surrounding the joint articular cartilage lesion cartilage being cut, and a cartilage repair patch.