A sensing and storage system for fluid balance during dialysis is provided. The sensing and storage system has flow sensors on either side of a dialyzer in a controlled volume dialysate flow path. The sensors are positioned so that no fluid can be added to or removed from the dialysate flow path between the sensors except for that which is added or removed by action of a control pump. The sensing and storage system can have a fluid removal line for the removal of fluid from the dialysate flow loop.

Systems and methods for pumping milk from a breast, wherein the milk is expressed from the breast under suction and milk is expulsed from the pumping mechanism to a collection container under positive pressure. In one approach, the breast pump assembly includes a breast adapter and a receptacle configured to cup the breast adapter, and the breast adapter is removable from the receptacle.

A medical ventilator (10) performs a method including: receiving measurements of pressure of air inspired by or expired from a ventilated patient (12) operatively connected with the medical ventilator; receiving measurements of air flow into or out of the ventilated patient operatively connected with the medical ventilator; dividing a breath time interval into a plurality of fitting regions (60); and simultaneously estimating respiratory system's resistance and compliance or elastance, and respiratory muscle pressure in each fitting region by fitting to a time series of pressure and air flow samples in that fitting region. In one approach, the fitting includes parameterizing the respiratory muscle pressure by a continuous differentiable function, such as a polynomial function, over the fitting region. In another approach, the fitting is to an equation of motion of the lungs in each fitting region, while monotonicity constraints and inequalities bounding at least the respiratory muscle pressure P.sub.mus(t) and respiratory system's resistence R and compliance C are applied to the respiratory muscle pressure in each region.

The present invention relates to a portable lung assist device. In one embodiment, the portable lung assist device comprises an integrated oxygenator, blood pump, and cannula. In one embodiment, the portable lung assist device of the present invention does not require an oxygen tank, but instead can provide oxygen to a subject's blood from ambient air. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the portable lung assist device, for example the cannula can be implantable. In one embodiment, the cannula of the device of the present invention can be inserted in to the subject's pulmonary artery. A method for providing portable lung assistance is also described.

An infusion state detection system includes: a pump unit configured to deliver a liquid in an infusion line; a pressure detector configured to detect a pressure in the infusion line; and a determination processing unit configured to: when the pressure detected by the pressure detector is at a predetermined value or above, stop driving of the pump unit for a stop period, and determine an infusion state on the basis of a value of the pressure detected by the pressure detector during the stop period.

A valve assembly including a housing having a base and an outer shell, which forms a proximal cavity and a distal cavity joined by a canal; an inner housing configured for longitudinal movement within the distal cavity; a seal positioned within the distal cavity that together with the longitudinal movement of the inner housing regulates the flow of fluid through the valve assembly; and one or more selected from the group consisting of the base notched with one or more notches and the inner housing having one or more through slots aligned to permit access to the one or more notches, the seal being a reversibly deformable sealing pin, and a torque limiter mechanism configured to resist the longitudinal movement of the inner housing distally until a sufficient radial force is applied.

An oxygen concentrator comprises a product tank that is fluidly coupled to at least one sieve bed, and a product gas accumulator tank that is fluidly coupled to the product tank via a first conduit and to an outlet port via a second conduit, wherein the first conduit and the second conduit are disposed to allow at least a portion of product gas to flow from the product tank to the outlet port.

Disclosed are biofeedback methods and devices suitable for providing biofeedback useful for helping a user control an own breathing, for example, to help in inducing deep breathing, and such biofeedback devices further comprising a dispenser for dispensing an inhalable substance.

A blood pump system is implantable in a patient for ventricular support. A pumping chamber has an inlet for receiving blood from a ventricle of the patient. An impeller is received in the pumping chamber. A motor is coupled to the impeller for driving rotation of the impeller. A motor controller is provided for tracking systolic and diastolic phases of a cardiac cycle of the patient and supplying a variable voltage signal to the motor in a variable speed mode to produce a variable impeller speed linked to the cardiac cycle. The impeller speed comprises a ramping up to an elevated speed during the diastolic phase in order to reduce a load on the ventricle at the beginning of the systolic phase.

A method for generating a flow profile of an inhalation device is described. The method comprises the step of measuring acoustic emissions induced by inhalation flow through the inhalation device. The method further comprises the step of detecting peak frequencies in the measured acoustic emissions and generating a flow profile based on the detected peak frequencies. A corresponding device is also described.