To reduce the suffering of the patient and enable easier removal of excess fluid such as pleural effusion fluid from the chest space, the disclosure provides a catheter for chest drainage intended for removal of excess fluid from a chest space of a living body and to be placed in the living body in such a manner as to extend from an inside of the chest space to an outside of the living body. The catheter includes a passage member formed of a flexible sheet and having a passage through which the excess fluid is to be drained, and an indwelling member formed of an elastic body and provided at a proximal end of the passage member. The indwelling member has an inlet that allows the excess fluid to flow through. The indwelling member includes a retaining portion spreading in a flange shape and being retainable at a chest wall.

A medication delivery device for treatment of a pulmonary disorder in a patient includes an elongate member, an expandable member is coupled to a distal end of the elongate member, and an agent delivery portion coupled to an external surface of the expandable member. The agent delivery portion includes an agent that disrupts nerve activity.

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 medical system comprises an operation console, a support platform configured to support a catheter, a driving unit moveably coupled to the support platform, the driving unit being configured to advance or retract the catheter based on an instruction from the operation console, a support platform configured to support a catheter, a separator device including: a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a fixed length portion between the first end and the second end, and a medical tube adaptor including: a first end, and a second end opposite the first end and mateable with a medical tube. The medical tube is insertable into a mouth of a patient. The second end of the separator device is mateable with or attached to the first end of the medical tube adapter.

Devices, systems and methods for localized delivery of a chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or targeted drug/biologic therapy to a target tissue area of an internal body organ of a patient. A catheter forms a sealed treatment chamber in a natural lumen extending through the target tissue area. Air is purged from the chamber, which is then filled with a liquid drug solution for an adequate treatment session time, solution volume and drug concentration to saturate the target tissue area, thereby providing the treatment. The drug concentration in the liquid soaking solution may be formulated to approximate the known maximum plasma concentration achieved during systemic delivery of the same drug. An integrated pressure relief circuit may be included to avoid unsafe pressure levels in the isolated chamber. The chamber is evacuated at the end of the treatment session.

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.

Methods and systems are provided for aerosolization of individual building blocks of medical microrobots and subsequent in situ assembly into microrobots capable of medical intervention deep within lung tissues of a subject. The methods and systems of the disclosure may allow for microrobot-based therapy of pulmonary diseases that have previously been difficult to effectively treat using conventional therapeutic approaches.

Systems and methods are provided for aerosolizing and delivering therapeutic substances in an electronic aerosol delivery device with airflow regulation. Calibrated airflow resistance settings enable adjustment and control of flow velocity and or flow volume of air, aerosolized air, and or entrained aerosol particles, through the device, for optimal aerosol delivery among diverse conditions and applications.

This invention relates to a device (1) for producing an aerosol for inhalation by a person, comprising a fluid reservoir (2) for a fluid, a nebulizing element (3) provided in order to convert the fluid from the fluid reservoir (2) into an aerosol, and a dispensing tube (4) with a discharge opening (5) along which the aerosol produced is dispensable so that it can be inhaled by a person, wherein the device (1) further comprises a laser (6) provided in order to generate a light beam suitable for irradiating the aerosol during its trajectory through the dispensing tube (4).

Disclosed embodiments include flexible tube assemblies, flexible needle assemblies, systems, methods of fabricating a flexible tube, and methods of fabricating a flexible needle. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, a flexible tube assembly includes: a flexible tube having a proximal end with a proximal strain relief section and a distal end with a distal strain relief section, the proximal strain relief section being located between the proximal end and the distal strain relief section and the distal strain relief section being located between the distal end and the proximal strain relief section, the distal end defining an opening therein, at least a portion of at least one of the proximal strain relief section and the distal strain relief section defining therein a spiral cut with a continuously variable pitch; and tubing disposed in an airtight manner over an exterior surface of the flexible tube at least the portion of the at least one of the proximal strain relief section and the distal strain relief section defining therein the spiral cut with a continuously variable pitch.