Helically winding an extruded web to form a wall of a heated hose about a central axis, extruding a bead of plastics material around a heating wire such that the extruded bead comprises the heating wire at a first location within a cross-section of the extruded bead, helically winding the extruded bead onto the wall of the hose to provide a support helix, and exerting tension on the heating wire to draw down the heating wire toward the central axis such that the heating wire migrates radially inward from the first location to a second location within the cross-section of the extruded bead.

Unwinding a portion of a support helix that comprises a heating wire from a wall of a hose at an end of the hose; sleeving a length of heatshrink tubing at least partly onto the unwound portion of the support helix; heating the heatshrink tubing to shrink onto at least part of the unwound portion of the support helix; and at an end of the unwound portion, directly connecting the heating wire to an electrical contact of an electrical connector.

An undermold coupling to couple a hose to a hose fitting includes: a tubular portion to be inserted into a hose interface of the hose fitting; threads formed on an inner surface of the tubular portion to engage a support helix on an end of the hose as a set of threads; and a first grating comprising a first plurality of elongate portions to intermesh with a corresponding second plurality of elongate portions of a second grating of the hose interface, wherein the first plurality of elongate portions extend into a second plurality of slots defined by the second plurality of elongate portions, and the second plurality of elongate portions extend into a first plurality of slots defined by the first plurality of elongate portions.

An aerosol delivery system is disclosed, the system comprising: an aerosol delivery unit, the aerosol delivery unit comprising: a cartridge receiver, which is configured to receive a cartridge assembly; and an inductor configured to receive the cartridge assembly and heat a liquid formulation within a capillary tube to produce an aerosol by induction heating. The cartridge assembly including an active part of the cartridge assembly including a capillary tube; a susceptor, the susceptor configured to partially surround the capillary tube; and a pair of displaceable covers, which surround at least the capillary tube and the susceptor.

This disclosure relates to control schemes for a system including mechanical cough functionality, and corresponding methods. Among other benefits, this disclosure reduces if not eliminates retrograde displacement of secretions within a patient's airway during a mechanical cough mode.

Systems and methods for generating MRI images of the lungs and/or airways of a subject using a medical grade gas mixture comprises between about 20-79% inert perfluorinated gas and oxygen gas. The images are generated using acquired .sup.19F magnetic resonance image (MRI) signal data associated with the perfluorinated gas and oxygen mixture.

Rhodamine dye is delivered to regions of a lung having heterogeneous alveolar flooding by alveolar liquid, thereby lowering the surface tension of the alveolar liquid so as to lessen ventilation injury directly and, by promoting equitable redistribution of the alveolar liquid among the alveoli of the lung, indirectly. The rhodamine dye is delivered with an albumin and/or an exogenous surfactant. Exemplary rhodamine dyes include sulforhodamine B and rhodamine WT.

A method of circulating a flow of blood within a circulatory system of a body includes applying an extrathoracic pressure to the body with a fluid. An intrathoracic pressure is applied to the body with the fluid. The application of the extrathoracic pressure relative to the application of the intrathoracic pressure is varied, so as to circulate a flow of blood within the circulatory system of the body.

A liquid ventilation system includes a reservoir holding a perfluorochemical (PFC) fluid, and a suction pump connected to the reservoir to reduce pressure within the reservoir. A sensor is configured to measure an intra-lung pressure. An appliance is configured to be disposed within a patient. The appliance carries an injector to supply the PFC fluid through the appliance. An extraction valve is disposed on an extraction line between the appliance and the reservoir. The extraction valve is arrangeable between a first position enabling fluid communication from the appliance to the reservoir and a second position disabling fluid communication from the appliance to the reservoir.

Methods are provided for protecting against ventilation-induced lung injury by promoting equitable liquid distribution in a lung with alveolar flooding, in which flooded and aerated alveoli are interspersed. Since ventilation injuriously over-expands aerated alveoli adjacent to flooded alveoli and a pressure barrier is responsible for trapping liquid in discrete alveoli, the present invention provides various means for overcoming the pressure barrier to, in turn, promote equitable redistribution of flooding liquid amongst alveoli, reduce the number of aerated alveoli located adjacent to flooded alveoli and reduce ventilation injury of the lung. These means of overcoming the pressure barrier include: (i) use of accelerated deflation during mechanical ventilation; and ii) high frequency (>50 Hz) vibration of the lung.