A patency device for catheter assemblies and other elongate tubular devices used for establishing access to an interior body portion of a patient is disclosed. The patency device establishes and preserves patency of one or more lumens defined by the catheter assembly by providing impulses of positive pressure to fluid disposed in the lumen of the catheter assembly. In one embodiment, the patency device comprises a fluid reservoir configured to provide a fluid path to at least one lumen of the catheter assembly, and a pressure input portion. The pressure input portion is configured to provide pressure for one or more impulses of positive pressure to a fluid disposed within the lumen. The impulses are configured to dislodge occlusions that may have formed in the lumen. A negative pressure can then be provided to the lumen to aspirate the occlusion.

A membrane valve for controlling flow and pressure relief, has a format following the anatomy and the action mechanism of a sphincter, in order not to have restriction points to the fluid flow. The valve includes a body provided with terminal sections provided with ends and, internally, a folded membrane which opens and closes according to the flow and/or pressure exerted therein, directly or indirectly, locally or remotely.

The present invention relates to a dosing mechanism including: a body; and a pump unit (3) that is attached to the body, in which the pump unit (3) includes: a pump (31) in which a volume of a solution feeding part therein repeats expansion and shrinkage, thereby sucking a medicine from a medicine vessel and discharging the medicine to a patient; a suction-side pipe (333) that extends from the pump (31) toward the medicine vessel; a discharge-side pipe (343) that extends from the pump (31) toward the patient; a relief pipe (35, 35a) whose one end (351) is connected to the discharge-side pipe (343) while the other end (352) is located in a part whose pressure is lower than pressure inside the discharge-side pipe when the medicine is dosed; and a relief pipe on-off valve (36, 36a) that opens and closes the relief pipe (35, 35a), a use method of a dosing mechanism, and a pump unit for a dosing mechanism.

An injector head with rotation mechanism allows selection between a state in which a syringe assumes a priming orientation with a through hole of the syringe positioned upper than the injector head body, and a state in which the syringe assumes a contrast agent injectable orientation with the through hole of the syringe positioned lower than the injector head body.

A connector for transferring fluid and method therefor. The connector may have a first port and a second port which may be coupled together at a main channel with a valve element therein controlling fluid flow through the first port. The first port joins the main channel to provide a fluid path around the valve element and through the second port.

A valve may have a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The valve may include a valve stem having a lumen extending from a first opening at a proximal portion of the valve stem to a second opening at a distal end of the valve stem. A plurality of seals may be positioned relative to the valve stem. The valve stem and seals may be configured so that a fluid entering the inlet is prevented from flowing to the outlet in a first position of the valve stem and relative to the inlet and the outlet. The valve stem and the seals may be configured so that a fluid entering the inlet flows to the outlet in a second position of the valve stem relative to the inlet and the outlet, the second position being more distal than the first position relative to the inlet and the outlet.

A medical connector for use in a fluid pathway. A valve member with sealing rings helps preclude undesired accumulation of fluid within the connector. A branched connector includes a fluid diverter extending away from a port of the branched connector. The fluid diverter is configured to divert fluid flowing through the branched connector and into a medical connector attached thereto, flushing a distal portion of the medical connector.

A drug administration valve (100) comprises a valve housing (200) having a plurality of drug inlets (D1 to D4) for receiving drug fluids, such as cytostatic, one flushing inlet (F) for receiving a flushing fluid, and an outlet (O). A valve member (300) rotationally arranged in the housing has a passageway (320; 321) presenting a single inlet (322) and a single outlet (324).The valve member (300) presents a plurality of drug positions for guiding an associated drug fluid to the outlet (O), and one or more flushing positions for guiding a flushing fluid through the same passageway (320; 321) as the drug fluids in order to flush said passageway (320; 321) from any drug residuals. The valve member (300) is prevented from rotating from one drug position to another drug position without passing one of said flushing positions

Valve devices are provided for draining fluids from and/or infusing fluids into a patient's body that include a housing including first, second, and third connectors, a primary fluid path communicating between the first and second connectors, and a secondary fluid path communicating from the primary fluid path to the third connector. First and second valve members are movable within the housing between first positions wherein the valve members do not obstruct the primary fluid path and second positions wherein the primary fluid path is at least partially closed. The third connector may be configured to prevent fluid flow therethrough unless a mating connector is fully coupled thereto. The valve members may be selectively closed to isolate portions of the flow path to allow a source of vacuum or fluid coupled to the third connector to aspirate or infuse fluid along portions of the primary fluid path.

Systems and methods are provided herein that generally involve shunting fluid, e.g., shunting cerebrospinal fluid in the treatment of hydrocephalus. Self-cleaning catheters are provided which include split tips configured such that pulsatile flow of fluid in a cavity in which the catheter is inserted can cause the tips to strike one another and thereby clear obstructions. Catheters with built-in flow indicators are also provided. Exemplary flow indicators include projections that extend radially inward from the interior surface of the catheter and which include imageable portions (e.g., portions which are visible under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). Movement of the flow indicators caused by fluid flowing through the catheter can be detected using MRI, thereby providing a reliable indication as to whether the catheter is partially or completely blocked. Systems and methods for flushing a shunt system are also disclosed herein, as are various systems and methods for opening auxiliary fluid pathways through a shunt system.