The invention is generally a nasal pharyngeal and oral swab that may be mass-produced via three-dimensional (3D) printing. To achieve the right materials for 3D printing the swabs, exemplary embodiments employ a set of materials that result in a rigid structure that has bendable properties (at least in the neck or stem region of the swab), but more rigid and bridle properties at a breakpoint of the swab. In exemplary embodiments, this may be achieved by constructing the device of a first photosensitive material that is generally soft and bendable when cured, and a second photosensitive material that is generally rigid and brittle when cured, wherein the soft bendable material comprises of about 70% to 90% of the photosensitive composition used to 3D print the swab, and the rigid and brittle material comprises of about 30% to 10% of the photosensitive composition used to 3D print the swab.

A method of manufacturing a swab for collecting a biological specimen includes extruding a first portion of a stem with at least one of a first taper and/or a first wall thickness, and extruding a second portion of the stem with at least one of a second taper and/or a second wall thickness.

A swab for collecting biological samples where the head portion and the handle portion of the swab are formed together from a single piece of material.

A cotton bud, in which a shaft is made from rolled dissolvable paper and the buds at the ends comprise entangled dissolvable cotton wool type fibres.

There is provided an oral hygiene swab (10) for a patient. The swab has a stem (12) formed of a first relatively rigid material and a head portion (14) formed of a second relatively softer material overmoulded onto the stem. The second material of the head portion is shaped to provide outwardly protruding cleaning formations (32, 36) for contact with the patient's mouth. The swab may be a suction swab and the stem may have a hollow interior.

It is disclosed a Q-tip which includes rolled up soft paper sheets, divided at one or two ends to a plurality of strips such as to form one or two respective brushes, and sticker or wire for gripping the rolled up soft paper sheets at a certain distance from the one or more brushes. The Q-tip includes one to four rolled up soft paper sheets. A method for providing a Q-tip may include providing soft paper sheets, dividing the soft paper sheets at two opposite ends to a plurality of strips, rolling up the soft paper sheets such as to form two brushes and a cylindrical part having an axis in parallel to the dividing direction, and gripping the soft paper sheets at the cylindrical part. The strips maybe of a substantially same width in the range of 7-8 mm, and a length in the range of 20-30 mm. A length of a soft paper sheet in the dividing direction is in the range of 95-105 mm and its width is in the range of 85-95 mm. Each brush may have 30-75 strips.

The present invention provides for an environmentally friendly system and associated methods for a user to utilize a disposable stem and a removable, reusable handle member. Specifically, the present invention provides for a method of manufacturing and a system of using a stem having a proximal end and a distal end, with an absorbent material fixed to the distal end, while the proximal end is configured to be interconnected with the removable handle member for a user to utilize the disposable swab system for many purposes, such as cleaning a user's ears and for other general use.

The present invention is directed to a therapeutic device to promote wound healing and a kit for promotion of wound healing. A method of use of the therapeutic device is also disclosed herein.

There is disclosed a surgical sponge device comprising a sponge portion and a handle portion The sponge portion is formed from an open cell foam material having an external surface. The handle portion comprises a grip at one end thereof that compressively grips mutually opposed external surface regions of the sponge portion an edge of the sponge portion. Substantially all of the external surface of the sponge portion is formed as an uncut external surface, except for at least one predetermined region of the external surface that is located close to the grip, the at least one predetermined region of the external surface being formed as a cut external surface. Because most of the external surface of the sponge portion is uncut, it will be free of unwanted particulate material.

The invention refers to a swab kit for sampling specimens from humans or animals, comprising a swab applicator (1) comprising a swab rod (2) having an extremity (E) and a sampling cloth (4) made of a low-absorbent flexible fabric, wherein the sampling cloth (4) is fixed to and wound, preferably in a spiral, in overlapping turns (T) around the swab rod (2), over a swab rod end region neighboring the extremity (E), in such a manner that at least an edge portion of the sampling cloth (4) overtops the extremity (E) by at least 1 mm when measured in a longitudinal direction of the swab rod (2).