An apparatus that for delivering a conformable and compressible nasopharyngeal tampon to an anatomical cavity of a patient and method of delivering the tampon to the patient. The tampon is configured to collect and remove posterior nasal fluid from a patient. The tampon may be compressably and slidably disposed in a longitudinally extending deployment tube having mutually opposed proximal and distal ends. A longitudinal plunger is slidably disposed within and extends out of the proximal end of the deployment tube. The distal end of the plunger is disposed in choanae and/or nasopharynx of the patient. Upon manual actuation, the plunger is activated to deliver the tampon to the nasopharyngeal region of a mammalian patient. Optionally, positioning strings may be joined to the tampon, to fine tune positioning of the tampon within the choanae and/or nasopharynx.

A negative pressure therapy system is provided for inducing negative pressure in a portion of a urinary tract of a patient, the system including: (a) at least one ureteral catheter configured to be positioned within a ureter and/or kidney of a patient; (b) one or more sensor(s) configured to determine information about urine produced within a urinary tract of the patient; and (c) a controller configured to increase urine production of the patient by adjusting one or more operating parameters of a negative pressure source for inducing negative pressure through the at least one ureteral catheter into the urinary tract of the patient, based at least in part upon the information determined by the one or more sensor(s).

A surgical sponge including a sponge material configured an elongate sponge having multiple compressed layers and a flattened shape characterized by a generally flat upper surface, a generally flat lower surface, with the sponge having a thickness that is substantially less than a width of the sponge, one reduced dimension end of the elongate sponge having an end length and reducing in dimension distally along the end length; stitches along the length of the sponge to compress the sponge material and maintain the layers in compression to maintain the flattened shape of the sponge; and a length of stitch material extending from the reduced dimension end to provide a structure that is engageable for use in positioning or removal of the sponge during a surgical procedure.

The invention relates to a flat wound care article having an essentially polygonal or ellipsoid base surface and at least one recess arranged on one side.

Ureteral catheters and assemblies are provided including: a drainage lumen including a proximal portion configured to be positioned in at least a portion of a patient's urethra and a distal portion configured to be positioned in a patient's ureter and/or kidney, the distal portion including a coiled retention portion including at least a first coil having a first diameter and a second coil having a second diameter, the first diameter being less than the second diameter; or wherein the retention portion extends radially outwardly from a portion of the distal end of the drainage lumen portion, the retention portion including a proximal end having a first diameter, a distal end having a second diameter, and a wall and/or surface extending therebetween, the retention portion having a second diameter is greater than the first diameter when deployed; or wherein the retention portion includes a plurality of drainage tubes.

Negative pressure therapy systems are provided for increasing urine production, the negative pressure therapy system including: (a) a pump assembly, the pump assembly including: (i) a pump configured to provide negative pressure to a kidney, and (ii) a controller configured to regulate the negative pressure provided by the pump within a pressure range that facilitates increased urine production from the kidney.

In one example, a medical system may comprise a delivery tube configured to couple to a vacuum source and provide negative pressure to a distal portion of the delivery tube; and a porous body at a distal portion of the delivery tube, the porous body including a first section and a second section removable from the first section.

Ureteral catheters and assemblies are provided including: a proximal portion; and a distal portion, the distal portion including a retention portion, wherein the retention portion includes an inwardly facing side including one or more drainage ports and an outwardly facing side, and wherein, when negative pressure is applied through the ureteral catheter, fluid is drawn into the ureteral catheter through the one or more drainage ports while mucosal tissue is prevented from appreciably occluding the one or more drainage ports.

Disclosed is a menses cell capture device having at least one endometrial cell filter having a filter substrate defining a plurality of pores sized and arrayed so as to be effective in capturing endometrial cells, and a collection platform, such as a sanitary napkin or tampon, supporting said endometrial cell filters at least partially in the path of a menstrual flow in a configuration effective in collecting endometrial cells discharged in the menstrual flow.

Also disclosed is a method of screening for endometrial disorders in a subject by providing an endometrial cell filter at least partially positioned in a menstrual flow of said subject, recovering and identifying endometrial cells collected in the endometrial cell filter, and determining whether any of said endometrial cells present with an endometrial disorder, such as inter alia atypical hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma.

Ureteral catheters and assemblies are provided including: a drainage lumen including a proximal portion configured to be positioned in at least a portion of a patient's urethra and a distal portion configured to be positioned in a patient's ureter and/or kidney, the distal portion including a coiled retention portion including at least a first coil having a first diameter and a second coil having a second diameter, the first diameter being less than the second diameter; or wherein the retention portion extends radially outwardly from a portion of the distal end of the drainage lumen portion, the retention portion including a proximal end having a first diameter, a distal end having a second diameter, and a wall and/or surface extending therebetween, the retention portion having a second diameter is greater than the first diameter when deployed; or wherein the retention portion includes a plurality of drainage tubes.