There is provided a guard for an intravenous adaptor. The guard comprises a polymer sheet formed of a polymer film, the polymer sheet having left, right and middle portions; tear lines within the polymer sheet, located on either side of the central extent of the middle portion; a pull strip extending lengthwise, generally parallel to the central extent and positioned between the tear lines; and an adhesive applied to a periphery of the polymer sheet and over the ends of the pull strip, the tear lines penetrating through the adhesive. The left and right portions of the polymer sheet are arranged to be folded onto each other to form a folded polymer sheet adhered by the adhesive to define a pocket, which is openable by tearing the folded polymer sheet and adhesive along the tear lines.

A percutaneous collar is made up of a central rigid ring and a flexible mesh inside a microporous silicone disc. The volume of the disc has a three-dimensional network of interconnected micropores forming microchannels connecting both external faces of the disc through the external micropores to the internal flexible mesh wherein the flexible mesh is formed by crossed longitudinal and radial elements or plates which form a plurality of holes.

A patency system for maintaining a patency of an indwelling medical device including an elongated shaft configured to be at least partially received within a portion of the indwelling medical device, and at least one cleaner configured to at least partially dislodge debris formed within the indwelling medical device.

A percutaneous access device for use in minimally invasive surgery includes an elongated body having a proximal portion and an opposing distal portion. The proximal portion has a proximal bore extending therethrough and the distal portion has a distal bore extending therethrough. The distal portion of the body is hingedly connected to the proximal portion in a first percutaneous access position and a second anchoring position. In the first percutaneous access position the distal and proximal bores are linearly aligned when a surgical instrument is inserted into both the proximal and distal bores. In the second anchoring position the distal bore is angularly displaced from the proximal bore when the surgical instrument is removed from the distal bore.

The invention relates to a vascular access device (10) for implantation onto a vessel wall, the access device comprising an tubular structure (12) to provide an access passage into the vessel via a hole in a vessel wall, a connector arrangement (20; 21) for attaching the tubular structure at said hole in the vessel wall, and a membrane structure (16A; 16B) sufficiently flexible to be collapsed for insertion through said hole and to be expanded to lie at least partially against an inner vessel surface thereby to surround the hole. The membrane structure comprises a membrane aperture (18) to provide a passage from inside the vessel into the tubular structure. The vascular access device further comprises a closing mechanism capable of closing the membrane aperture while the membrane structure is expanded against said inner vessel surface. There is also provided a method of implanting a vascular access device.

A control assembly for implantation in a patient comprises a first unit adapted for subcutaneous implantation at a first side of a body tissue of said patient, a second unit adapted for implantation in a body cavity of said patient at a second side of said body tissue, wherein at least one of the first and the second unit is adapted to control an implanted powered medical device, and an interconnecting device adapted for mechanical interconnection of the first and second units to keep the assembly in place by the body tissue, the interconnecting device having a cross-sectional area which is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the first unit and the second unit in a plane parallel to the extension of the body tissue.

A neurosurgical apparatus includes a guide device and a neurosurgical instrument is disclosed. The guide device includes a tube for insertion into the brain and a head attached to the proximal end of the tube for affixing the guide device to a hole formed in the skull. The head has a passageway therethrough in communication with the bore of the tube such that the bore of the tube and the passageway through the head define an internal channel through which a neurosurgical instrument can be passed into the brain of the subject. The neurosurgical instrument is for insertion to a desired brain target through the internal channel of the guide device. The apparatus includes one or more sealing elements for providing a fluid tight seal between the internal channel of the guide device and the exterior of the neurosurgical instrument to prevent fluid leakage from guide tube.

A system and method for a modular external interface for a skin penetrating appliance is provided. The modular device prevents internalization of bacteria, other infectious agents, or other unwanted materials from entering the access point for a catheter, Steinman pin, Kirschner wires, or other percutaneous instruments. The modular external interface provides for the hermaticity in the vicinity of the skin-appliance interface with fluid exudate or transudate egressing from the vicinity of the skin-appliance interface. The modular external interface forms a hermetic seal with the external neck of an implanted appliance with a locking feature that joins the main body of the modular external interface together around the neck of the appliance. The modular external interface provides mechanical stability to an implanted appliance so as to speed healing around a semi-permanent implanted appliance, as well as connection points for vacuum lines and drive lines for the insertion of medical devices.

The present invention provides a drainage tube introducer wherein while a drainage tube is fitted over an introducing end portion (42) protruding through a pin hole (32) and is introduced through an incision portion (4) into an infected portion (2) in cooperation with the introducing end portion (42), a stop block (52) is pressed by pushing a sleeve (70) frontward, which bends an operating lever (50) made of an elastic material to release the stop block (52) from a stop hole (38). Accordingly, a pin (40) is moved rearward by an elastic member (60) to withdraw the introducing end portion (42) protruding through the pin hole and to separate the drainage tube introduced into the infected portion (2) from the introducing end portion (42).

Endovascular drug delivery systems and methods are disclosed herein for delivering a therapeutic agent to the intracranial subarachnoid space of a patient, and/or deploying an endovascular drug delivery device distal portion in the intracranial subarachnoid space and a portion of the drug delivery device body in a dural venous sinus such that a therapeutic agent is delivered from the deployed drug delivery device into the intracranial subarachnoid space.