The described invention provides a blood collection and autotransfusion container, which provides fast, efficient, safe blood collection and blood or blood products transfusion.

A single use pleural drainage set for medical use, which allows drainage by all physicians of air (pneumothorax), blood (hemothorax) and all other liquids (hydrothorax) accumulated abnormally in the thoracic cavity (pleural space (I)).

A system (1) for collecting liquid, including a main collecting chamber (10), a main duct section (11, 12, 13) connected to the main collecting chamber (10) in a fluid-communicating manner, and an auxiliary collecting chamber (20, 30, 40). The system (1) has an auxiliary duct section (21, 38, 39) connected to the auxiliary collecting chamber (20, 30, 40) in a fluid-communicating manner for connection to the main duct section (11, 12, 13). The main duct section (11, 12, 13) and the auxiliary duct section (21, 38, 39) form a duct (35, 36, 37) when the main duct section is connected to the auxiliary duct section. A water-soluble closing component (14, 15, 16) closes the duct (35, 36, 37). A hygienic collecting device for liquid, which has a short evacuation time and a flexible collection volume, is provided with the system (1).

A low-cost and simple-to-use system and method to facilitate a prophylactic pleural lavage protocol at the time of thoracostomy tube placement for traumatic hemothorax in order to reduce the need for secondary intervention for the management of retained hemothorax. The invention may be used in conjunction with existing chest tubes and be administered at the time of initial chest tube placement, and continued at the bedside (by a bedside nurse) over the duration of chest drainage, as necessary. The system includes an operator device that semi-automatically administers a pleural lavage protocol consisting of saline instillation, and suction to slow the clotting process, prevent gelling of blood, and maintain drainability.

A device, system and method for characterizing a chest drainage apparatus. The device includes a source of both positive pressure and negative pressure, a conduit to provide the positive pressure and the negative pressure to the chest drainage apparatus and a sensor to detect a response of said chest drainage apparatus to either said positive pressure or said negative pressure. The system includes a device that controllably provides either a positive pressure or a negative pressure to the chest drainage apparatus and a sensor to record the effect of the positive pressure or the negative pressure to the drainage apparatus. The method includes the steps of (1) providing a source of both positive pressure and negative pressure; (2) controllably applying either the positive pressure or the negative pressure to the chest drainage apparatus; and (3) detecting a response from the chest drainage apparatus to the pressure application.

A suction discharge unit of a suction discharge device includes a first unit and a second unit. The second unit controls the pressure inside the first unit. The first unit includes a storage chamber and a water sealing chamber. The water sealing chamber includes a first chamber communicating with the storage chamber, and a second chamber is sealed from the first chamber by sealing water. A negative pressure control unit is disposed in the second chamber. The negative pressure control unit includes a liquid retaining part retaining a liquid, a control member including control holes, and a support tube supporting the control member. The negative pressure control unit controls the pressure of the first chamber by causing gas to flow from the second chamber into the first chamber via the control holes and the liquid based on the pressure of the second chamber and the pressure of the first chamber.

An air leak detection system for chest tube collection systems includes a light emitting element, such as an LED, and a photodetector that can detect reflected light emission generated by the light emitting element. The air leak detection system can include a securement component, such as a transparent clip or adhesive, so that the air leak detection system is compatible with any conventional chest tube collection system. In certain embodiments, the light emitting element is positioned closer to the bottom portion of the water seal tube than the photodetector. In certain embodiments, the photodetector is positioned closer to a bottom of the water seal chamber than the light emitting element. In certain embodiments, the air leak detection system is part of a chest tube drainage system. A method of detecting an air leak in a chest tube collection system is also disclosed.

A storage container includes a storing section including a storage space and an inflow port, and a water sealing section. The storing section includes an inflow section connectable to a tube and a volume changing section capable of changing the volume of the storage space. The volume changing section is deformed to increase the volume of the storage space when pressure in the storage space is about to rise to be equal to or higher than a reference pressure set in advance and is deformed to reduce the volume of the storage space when the pressure in the storage space is about to drop to be lower than the reference pressure.

Air drained from a patient's body can be measured after a surgical operation or trauma. The volume of air drained from the body can be determined from the weight of a vessel that has receive effluent drained the body and the volume of air that has escaped from the vessel. The effluent can include any one or a combination of air and liquid.

A low-cost and simple-to-use system and method to facilitate a prophylactic pleural lavage protocol at the time of thoracostomy tube placement for traumatic hemothorax in order to reduce the need for secondary intervention for the management of retained hemothorax. The invention may be used in conjunction with existing chest tubes and be administered at the time of initial chest tube placement, and continued at the bedside (by a bedside nurse) over the duration of chest drainage, as necessary. The system includes an operator device that semi-automatically administers a pleural lavage protocol consisting of saline instillation, and suction to slow the clotting process, prevent gelling of blood, and maintain drainability.