In some additional aspects, an apparatus can include a chamber having an inlet valve for receiving a reactant gas and an outlet valve for delivering a product gas, a piston positioned inside the chamber and configured to move along a length of the chamber for adjusting pressure in the chamber, a sensor for collecting information related to one or more conditions of a respiratory system associated with a patient, a controller for determining one or more control parameters based on the collected information, and one or more pairs of electrodes positioned inside the chamber for initiating a series of electric arcs external to the patient to generate nitric oxide based on the determined control parameters.

A catheter connector includes an inner wall that defines an interior of the catheter connector and is transmissive to ultraviolet (UV) light. An outer wall defines an exterior of the catheter connector. One or a plurality of UV light sources is disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall or on the outer wall positioned to emit UV light into the interior of the catheter connector. A flow sensor is provided for sensing a flow of fluid in the interior of the catheter connector, and circuitry electrically connects the UV light sources, the flow sensor and a power source, such that electrical power is supplied to the UV light sources when a fluid flows through the interior of the catheter connector.

Implants comprising electrically-responsive hydrogel are described. Systems to provide electricity to induce response in hydrogel-containing implants are described. Methods for utilizing said system and methods for utilizing said hydrogel-containing implants are described.

The present invention relates to an intubation device for inserting an endotracheal tube into a patient's trachea. The intubation device comprises a laryngoscope blade for providing access to a pharyngeal cavity of the patient and a guide member which is substantially rigid and is curved in at least a section thereof. The intubation device further comprises a sled configured to be coupled to the endotracheal tube and to advance the endotracheal tube into the trachea of the patient and a drive device configured to drive the sled in an advancing direction. The sled is movably coupled to the guide member such that the sled is translationally movable along the guide member relative to the guide member in the advancing direction. The present invention further relates to an intubation device for providing assistance in delivering an endotracheal tube to a patient's trachea.

A system for generating nitric oxide can include an apparatus positioned in a trachea of a mammal, the apparatus in eluding a respiration sensor for collecting information related to one or more triggering events associated with the trachea, an oxygen sensor for collecting information related to a concentration of oxygen in a gas, and one or more pairs of electrodes for initiating a series of electric arcs to generate nitric oxide, and the system for generating nitric oxide can also include a controller for determining one or more control parameters based on the information collected by the respiration sensor and the oxygen sensor, wherein the series of electric arcs is initiated based on the control parameters determined by the controller.

Various embodiments disclosed relate to drug-coated balloon catheters for treating strictures in body lumens and methods of using the same. A drug-coated balloon catheter for delivering a therapeutic agent to a target site of a body lumen stricture includes an elongated balloon having a main diameter. The balloon catheter includes a coating layer overlying an exterior surface of the balloon. The coating layer includes one or more water-soluble additives and an initial drug load of a therapeutic agent.

A dilation device comprises an elongate shaft, an inflatable balloon, and a resilient tube. The inflatable balloon is disposed along the shaft. The resilient tube is also disposed along the shaft and is positioned to encompass at least part of the inflatable balloon. The resilient tube is configured to impose an inwardly directed resilient bias on at least a portion of the exterior of the inflatable balloon. At least part of the resilient tube is secured to one or both of the elongate shaft or the inflatable balloon.

A tube-wall-free right-sided double-lumen bronchial catheter, consisting of a tube-wall-free bronchial catheter body and a double-lumen ventilation catheter body. For the tube-wall-free bronchial catheter body, by means of a plurality of bronchial struts, an upper end is connected to the inner wall of a bronchial cuff and a lower end is connected to an annular opening, and no connection is present among the bronchial struts. When right lung single-lung ventilation is performed, the tube-wall-free bronchial catheter body enters a right main bronchus, the direction and position of the catheter body do not need to be adjusted, the tube-wall-free structure of the tube-wall-free bronchial catheter body can achieve complete opening of the upper lobe of the right lung, and the optimal ventilation effect of the right lung single-lung ventilation is ensured. Poor ventilation of the right upper lung is avoided, time consumption is shortened, airway injuries are reduced, and related complications are reduced.

A respiratory assembly supports a voice function, a ventilation method and a ventilator. The respiratory assembly includes a detecting module configured to detect a mouth pressure and an expiratory airway pressure of a patient, an inspiratory module configured to provide gas to the patient during inspiration, and an expiratory module configured to expel the gas generated by the patient's expiration, and to control an expiratory branch pressure to be greater than the mouth pressure according to the mouth pressure detected by the detecting module, which causes the expiratory airway pressure to rise due to lung contraction during the patient's expiration, causing gas in the expiratory airway of the patient to flow toward the mouth, the flowing gas driving patient's vocal chords to vibrate and vocalize.

An intubation tool for assisting in placement of an endotracheal tube, the intubation tool comprising a) a stylet having a proximal end, a distal end, and a medial location, the stylet: i) configured for receiving an endotracheal tube, and ii) having an articulating distal tip, the articulating distal tip being configured to articulate between more than one shape; and b) a removable handle secured to a medial location on of the stylet.