Safe and easy lung cleansing apparatus and method comprising a hollow nasopharyngeal tube with longitudinal misting and air sections inserted in user's nostril, misting means, lung cleansing fluid, fluid and air pumps and automated postural lung cleansing and drainage bed synchronized with the air and fluid pumps, to rotate and turn the user to mist, drain and thereby in turn all areas of the user's lungs. Some embodiments include a cuirass-type negative pressure ventilator to recruit more alveoli for cleansing, loosen mucus in the lungs and induce a cough to clear mucus. The method may include premedication to loosen mucus, tar and other foreign matter in the lungs. In some embodiments, the user's chest could be vibrated to loosen mucus in the lungs to aid thorough cleansing by the misting and automate postural drainage thereafter.

A medical device includes a host structure that has an interior area and one or more propulsion systems linked to the host structure. The host structure and the propulsion systems are configurable into a peripheral boundary of a size adapted to fit in a lumen or cavity of a living organism such as a human being or animal. The medical device includes one or more power supplies in communication with the propulsion systems. The medical device includes a control unit in communication with the propulsion systems and the power supplies. The control unit has a computer process controller configured to control the propulsion systems to move the host structure and the propulsion systems in the lumen so that the host structure and the propulsion systems are self-maneuverable within the lumen.

A disinfection system is provided. The disinfection system may utilize ultraviolet light and/or ozone for disinfection of infected tissue. For example the system may involve an endoscopic ultraviolet light to disinfect lung tissue. In another aspect, the system may involve a ventilator which provides ozone in small doses to disinfect the tissue. Combinations and variations are further disclosed.

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.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and other fluid amelioration systems completely or partially implantable within a mammalian subject and associated methods include a substrate and an agent for amelioration of a toxic biomolecule present in the CSF or fluid, wherein the agent is disposed on or within the substrate.

This invention relates to the treatment of a patient's lung, for example, a lung exhibiting chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and in particular to methods and devices for affecting lung volume reduction, preferably for achieving acute or immediate lung volume reduction following treatment. The lung volume reduction is effected by delivering a condensable vapor at a temperature above body temperature to the desired regions of the patient's lung to damage tissue therein. Blood flow and air flow to the damaged tissue region is essentially terminated, rendering the target region non-functional. Alternative energy sources may be used to effect the thermal damage to the lung tissue.

A system and method enabling the receipt of image data of a patient, identification of one or more locations within the image data depicting symptoms of lung disease, analyzing airways and vasculature proximate the identified locations, planning a pathway to the one or more locations, navigating an extended working channel to one of the locations, identifying the direction of blood flow within vasculature serving the location, positioning a catheter proximate the location, and temporarily isolating a portion of the identified vasculature serving the location depicting symptoms of lung disease.

An intra-tumoral agent deployment apparatus for diagnosing and delivering targeted, sequential deployment of agents to an endo-bronchial and, or an intra-parenchymal tumor, said apparatus formed of, among other things, an elongated shaft assembly including: at least one lumen; an intra-tumoral probe wire for tumor traversal, slidably interposed there between or slidably disposed between any one of, or combination of the at least one lumen; and wherein the displacement of the intra-tumoral probe wire causes disruption of an endo-bronchial and, or an intra-parenchymal tumor tissue, and, or creating an inlet for deployment of at least a first agent comprising any one of a therapeutic agent and, or a delivery vehicle from the first lumen, and a subsequent second agent comprising any one of a therapeutic agent and, or a binding agent from any one of the first lumen, second lumen, and, or the delivery vehicle.

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.

Described herein are methods of using inhaled nitric oxide for improving and/or maintaining right ventricular function and/or left ventricular function. Some methods relate to the long-term administration of inhaled nitric oxide to a patient with pulmonary hypertension.