A method for treatment of a brain and/or spinal cord includes inserting a flexible catheter into a cerebrospinal fluid space, the flexible catheter including two lumens adapted to allow a fluid to circulate therein in a closed loop within the flexible catheter and the flexible catheter being adapted to be connected to a device for cooling and circulating the fluid. The cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebrospinal fluid space is cooled with the flexible catheter to enable selective central nervous system cooling. The functional status of the brain and/or spinal cord is monitored, and the treatment of the brain and/or spinal cord is modified to adjust for any change in the functional status of the brain and/or spinal cord.

An apparatus for cleansing wounds, in which wound exudate is removed from a wound bed and selectively cleansed and returned to the wound. The cleansing means removes materials deleterious to wound healing, and the cleansed fluid, still containing materials that are beneficial in promoting wound healing, is returned to the wound bed. The associated wound dressing and cleansing means are conformable to the wound, and may have irrigant fluid circulated from a reservoir by a device for moving fluid through a flow path which passes through the dressing and a means for fluid cleansing and back to the dressing.

A fluid management system for use with a fluid reservoir includes an inflow pump and an outflow pump. The inflow pump is connectable to a probe for delivering a distention fluid to a body cavity. The outflow pump removes the distention fluid through the same probe, thus establishing a re-circulating volume of distention fluid within the body cavity. The removed fluid is filtered and returned to a fluid reservoir for eventual recycling to the body cavity. A controller adjusts the flow rates of the inflow pump and the outflow pump to maintain a pre-selected fluid pressure or volume within the body cavity.

A hysteroscopic fluid management system includes a saline source with an electrolyte concentration, at least one pressure mechanism for circulating saline to and from a targeted site and through a filter having filter characteristics back to the source, and a controller. The controller provides a saline inflow in a first flow path to the site and a saline outflow in a second flow path from the site through the filter and back to the source at a controlled flow rate. A diagnostic or therapeutic procedure is performed at the site in the presence of the saline. The filter characteristics and the controlled flow rate are selected to (1) cause substantially no change in the electrolyte concentration in the saline, (2) to prevent hemolysis of greater than 5% of filtered red blood cells exposed to the saline, and/or (3) to minimize effect on prothrombin time of plasma exposed to the filter.

A surgical fluid management system delivers fluid for distending a uterine cavity to allow cutting and extraction of uterine fibroid tissue, polyps and other abnormal uterine tissue. The system comprises a fluid source, fluid deliver lines, one or more pumps, and a filter for re-circulating the distension fluid between the source and the uterine cavity. A controller can monitor fluid retention by the patient.

A surgical system can include a first instrument defining a first channel and a second instrument receivable by the first channel. The second instrument can include a second channel. A valve coupled to the first instrument controls fluid flow through the first channel. The valve has at least two positions and in one position, the impedance of fluid flow through the valve into the first channel (when the second instrument is not received in the first channel) is substantially the same as when the valve is the other position and the first channel partially blocked by the second instrument. In another aspect, a surgical system can include an outer member and the first instrument can be received within the outer member to define a second channel there between. The first instrument can include a visualization system and an illumination system.

A method for treatment of a brain and/or spinal cord includes inserting a flexible catheter into a cerebrospinal fluid space, the flexible catheter including two lumens adapted to allow a fluid to circulate therein in a closed loop within the flexible catheter and the flexible catheter being adapted to be connected to a device for cooling and circulating the fluid. The cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebrospinal fluid space is cooled with the flexible catheter to enable selective central nervous system cooling. The functional status of the brain and/or spinal cord is monitored, and the treatment of the brain and/or spinal cord is modified to adjust for any change in the functional status of the brain and/or spinal cord.

A peristaltic pump includes a first motor shaft, a second motor shaft, a first pump head, a second pump head, and a motor. The first pump head is operably coupled to the first motor shaft such that the first pump head is rotated in response to rotation of the first motor shaft. The second pump head is operably coupled to the second motor shaft such that the second pump head is rotated in response to rotation of the second motor shaft. The motor is configured to rotate the first and second motor shafts. The pump head has a first mode in which the first pump head is rotated and the second pump head is idle and a second mode in which the first pump head is idle and the second pump head is rotated.

An apparatus for cleansing wounds in which irrigant fluid from a reservoir connected to a conformable wound dressing and wound exudate from the dressing are recirculated by a device for moving fluid through a flow path which passes through the dressing and a means for fluid cleansing and back to the dressing. The cleansing means (which may be a single-phase, e.g. microfiltration, system or a two-phase, e.g. dialytic system) removes materials deleterious to wound healing, and the cleansed fluid, still containing materials that are beneficial in promoting wound healing, is returned to the wound bed. The dressing and a method of treatment using the apparatus.

A multi-port medical syringe comprises a port body, a syringe barrel, and a plunger. The port body comprises a cylindrical cavity with at least three ports. The three port are configured to connect the cylindrical cavity of the port body with three medical devices: a first port configured for attachment to a medical device such as an input fluid source; a second port configured for fluid transmission through a urinary catheter to a bladder of a human or animal; and a third port configured for attachment to a medical device such as a drainage fluid storage vessel. The syringe barrel comprises a cylindrical tube, at least a portion of which fits snugly inside the cylindrical cavity of the port body. The syringe barrel further comprises a syringe barrel port located proximate to, or in, an otherwise closed end of the syringe barrel. Selection of the first, second or third port comprises a rotation of the syringe barrel relative to the port body, about the barrel cylindrical tube central axis, to align the syringe barrel port with the selected port body port. The plunger fits inside the cylindrical tube of the syringe barrel. The plunger can be manually grasped and moved longitudinally along the barrel cylindrical tube central axis to transmit fluid through the port of the port body that was selected by rotating the syringe barrel inside the port body.