A heat and moisture exchanger device comprising a housing containing a microcurrent-generating filter capable of generating a low level microcurrent. A microcurrent-generating filter can reduce the number of living or active microbes.

A respiratory device provides respiratory support to a patient. The respiratory device includes an expandable bag and a rigid valve housing. The expandable bag has an air inlet valve as well as a first and second sides that are bounded, respectively, by first and second rigid side panels. Each of the first and second rigid side panels includes a biasing member projection. The rigid valve housing is in fluid communication with the expandable bag. The rigid valve housing includes an adjustable tidal volume control device that interfaces with the biasing member projection of each of the first and second rigid side panels to set one of a plurality of predetermined tidal volumes for the expandable bag in an uncompressed or compressed configuration. The rigid valve housing additionally includes a patient breathing interface connection member.

A medical fluid treatment system includes a source of purified water; at least one concentrate for mixing with the water from the source to form a treatment fluid; a disposable set including a pumping portion, a concentrate line in fluid communication with the concentrate source and the pumping portion, and a patient line in fluid communication with the pumping portion, the patient line including a filter having a membrane configured to filter the treatment fluid, the filter configured such that (i) fresh treatment fluid flowing from the pumping portion towards a patient flows through the membrane and (ii) used treatment fluid flowing through the filter from the patient to the pumping portion bypasses the membrane; and a medical fluid delivery machine including a pump actuator operable with the pumping portion of the disposable set.

A biocontainment assembly for use with a patient suspected of having or diagnosed with a transmissible disease(s) capable of respiratory, airborne, contact, or droplet transmission includes a housing configured to be positioned over and at least partially enclose a head, neck, and/or torso of the patient. A sidewall of the housing includes an open portion contiguous with an at least partially pen bottom portion of the housing, sized to fit over at least a portion of the head, neck, and/or a torso of the patient. The housing also includes an airflow opening for evacuating fluid from an interior defined by the housing. The assembly also includes a drape configured to extend across the open portion of the sidewall having a first portion removably connected to the housing and an opposing second portion configured to be draped over the torso, abdomen, waist, and/or legs of the patient.

An infection containment band (IC Band) that consists of a wrist band with a mouth sized cavity that holds a filter in the filter chamber which is attached to, and/or part of the wrist band-resembling a wrist watch. There are pressure vents on the unit that release the air pressure when coughing or sneezing into the unit. The filter, in preferred embodiments consists of a sub-micron and/or standard filter and/or anti-microbial filter. The foregoing and other objects are intended to be illustrative of the invention and are not meant in a limiting sense. Many possible embodiments of the invention may be made and will be readily evident upon a study of the following specification and accompanying drawings comprising a part thereof. Various features and sub-combinations of invention may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent.

An aerosol-proof ventilation mask which efficiently and safely collects and removes aerosol droplets. The medical ventilation mask comprising a gas opening, a mask frame having an internal portion and an external portion, an internal seal having an internal rim, an external seal having an external rim, and at least one vacuum outlet port connected to the mask frame to provide fluid communication with a vacuum line.

A medical airway device includes a housing having at least one breathing circuit port and including an airway filter arranged to filter air flowing through the at least one breathing circuit port. The airway filter includes a layered filter including at least a first separate filter layer and a second separate filter layer being stacked on top of each other so that neighbouring separate filter layers abut each other. The layered filter has a first surface being laminated with a first scrim layer and a second surface being laminated with a second scrim layer. Each separate filter layer is a non-woven fiber layer.

A method is provided that includes intranasally dispensing nasal wash fluid (26) into a nasal cavity (22) of a subject such that the nasal wash fluid (26) washes biological material into an oropharynx (30) of the subject from (a) the nasal cavity (22), (b) a nasopharynx (32) of the subject, or (c) the nasal cavity (22) and the nasopharynx (32). Thereafter, a specimen sample (24) is collected that passed out of an anterior opening (34) of an oral cavity (36) of the subject and contains at least a portion of the biological material washed into the oropharynx (30) by the nasal wash fluid (26). Other embodiments are also described.

An apparatus for vaccine generation includes a syringe with a cavity that includes a solution with photosensitizers. Microbial particles are added to the solution. A light source is capable of emitting one or more wavebands of light that are effectively absorbed by the one photosensitizers to generate singlet oxygen in the solution and other radical species that rapidly react with and damage lipids, proteins, DNA, and RNA of the microbial particles. This damage produces immunogens that can be applied as a vaccine to viruses and other infectious microbial particles. A plunger that fits within a proximal opening in the syringe is used for forcing the solution including the immunogens through the filter and out of the syringe while the photosensitizers, debris and unwanted microbial particles are trapped within the filter.

A filter sterilization system includes an expiratory filter having filter material that collects pathogens present in the exhaled gas stream from a ventilated patient. A filter sterilizer includes an ultraviolet (UV) light source that is activated by the system to emit light towards the expiratory filter. Additionally, the system includes a ventilator coupled to a patient breathing circuit that provides a gas mixture from a gas source to the ventilated patient and transfers exhaled gases of the ventilated patient to the expiratory filter.