New medical circuit components and methods for forming such components are disclosed. These components include microstructures for humidification and/or condensate management. The disclosed microstructures can be incorporated into a variety of components, including tubes (e.g., inspiratory breathing tubes and expiratory breathing tubes and other tubing between various elements of a breathing circuit, such as ventilators, humidifiers, filters, water traps, sample lines, connectors, gas analyzers, and the like), Y-connectors, catheter mounts, humidifiers, and patient interfaces (e.g., masks for covering the nose and face, nasal masks, cannulas, nasal pillows, etc.), floats, probes, and sensors in a variety of medical circuits.

A filtration device includes: a housing that defines a liquid flow path; and a filtration sheet that separates the liquid flow path into a flow path upstream side and a flow path downstream side. The housing includes: a first housing member and a second housing member that sandwich the filtration sheet, and a joining member that joins the first housing member and the second housing member in a state in which the filtration sheet is sandwiched between the first housing member and the second housing member. A gap is located between the first housing member and the second housing at a position outward of an outer edge of the filtration sheet. The joining member seals the gap between the first housing member and the second housing member at the position outward of the outer edge of the filtration sheet.

The present invention is directed to an assembly and method of use thereof for reducing microbial load in an airway of a patient. The assembly includes a miniature vacuum unit. The miniature vacuum unit includes a housing, at least one air inlet configured in the housing for air intake; a vacuum motor for sucking the air through the at least one air inlet; vents configured in the housing for blowing the sucked air out of the housing, a filter media covering inner side of the vents, such as the sucked air passes through the filter media, the filter media configured to retain microbes suspended in the sucked air; and at least one suction tube. The suction tube is having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end of the at least one suction tube configured to sealably and releasably coupled to the at least one air inlet, a plurality of apertures configured in the wall of the suction tube near its distal end. The suction tube configured to be positioned within the mouth of the patient.

A respiratory filter and condensate management apparatus is provided for use in a breathing circuit during patient respiration. The apparatus includes a housing having an air inlet port for receiving a flow of respiratory air, and an air outlet port for outputting the flow of respiratory air to a ventilator. A filter compartment is provided within the housing and includes a filter member located in a flow path of the respiratory air from the air inlet port to the air outlet port. A condensate collection compartment is provided within the housing and includes at least one reservoir and at least one self-sealing drainage port. The reservoir collects liquid formed by condensation of the respiratory air within the filter compartment, and the drainage port allows removal of the collected liquid from the reservoir while the housing remains connected to the breathing circuit.

Disclosed are hollow fibers suitable for use in dialysis in an outside-in configuration. For such fibers, it is desirable that the fiber have a low albumin sieving coefficient and have a permeability high enough to be considered a High Flux dialyzer, and it is desirable that the outer (blood-facing) surface have a sufficiently small roughness and be hydrophilic. It is desirable that there be a selective layer on the outer surface and, interiorly of that, a porous structurally supportive region, which may contain elongated macrovoids. Such a fiber may be spun through a triple-concentric spinneret that produces a bore liquid surrounded by dope surrounded by a shower. The shower and the coagulation bath may be pure water, which is a non-solvent. The process may be performed at room temperature. Spinning parameters are discussed.

Modular intravenous (IV) assemblies are provided. The modular IV assembly includes a drip chamber having a body and an inlet connector, a base housing coupled directly to a base portion of the drip chamber, the base housing having an inlet port in fluid connection with the drip chamber and a flow path cavity in fluid connection with the inlet port and a flow control assembly coupled directly to a first portion of the base housing. Any of a filter assembly, an anti-run dry member, a check valve and an air vent assembly may be included in the modular IV assembly. IV sets and methods of use are also provided.

An air venting device may include an adapter comprising a tubular body having a hollow interior defining a fluid flow path, and a vent plug detachably coupled to at least a portion of the tubular body. The vent plug may include an inner circumferential surface defining an internal chamber of the vent plug, and the fluid flow path of the adapter may fluidly communicate the adapter with the internal chamber of the vent plug. The vent plug may further include a superabsorbent polymer material disposed in the internal chamber. The superabsorbent polymer material may be configured to (i) absorb a liquid entering the internal chamber from the fluid flow path, and (ii) expand in volume as the liquid is absorbed into the superabsorbent polymer material. Air entrained in the liquid entering the internal chamber may be vented to an exterior of the air venting device via the vent plug.

The invention is an innovative hybrid venous reservoir designed to receive and store blood during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the hybrid venous reservoir consisting of an air purging chamber that limits air in the venous blood entering the air purging chamber from exiting the air purging chamber in combination with a compliant storage chamber with at least one pliable wall, the combination providing a large volume capacity while limiting the area of the blood-air interface to that of the air purging chamber.

A system or apparatus including a dressing, a dressing interface, and a humidity sensor may be suitable for use with systems and methods for treating a tissue site. Embodiments of the apparatus are provided for treating a tissue site with reduced pressure provided by a source of reduced pressure. The dressing may include abase layer, a sealing member disposed proximate the base layer to define an enclosure providing a sealed space over the tissue site, and an absorbent member disposed within the enclosure. The dressing interface may comprise a reduced-pressure port configured to be coupled to the source of reduced pressure and a therapy port covered by a hydrophobic filter defining a reduced-pressure pathway between the hydrophobic filter and the source of reduced pressure. The humidity sensor may comprise a sensing portion fluidly coupled to the reduced-pressure pathway and an output for providing a humidity signal that indicates the amount of fluid extracted from the tissue site and stored by the absorbent member. Other dressings, systems, and methods are disclosed.

Systems and methods for generating nitric oxide are disclosed. A nitic oxide (NO) generation system includes at least one pair of electrodes configured to generate a product gas containing NO from a flow of a reactant gas; and a controller configured to regulate the amount of nitric oxide in the product gas produced by the at least one pair of electrodes by utilizing duty cycle values of plasma pulses selected from a plurality of discrete duty cycles to produce a target rate of NO production based on an average of discrete production rates associated with each of the plurality of discrete duty cycles.