To be able to prevent a situation in which, in percutaneous dilational tracheostomy, the guide catheter already inserted into the trachea can kink, a device for percutaneous dilational tracheostomy is disclosed which has a puncture needle, a guide catheter and a guidewire. The puncture needle has a ground tip at its distal end. The maximum external diameter of the puncture needle is smaller than the minimum internal diameter of the guide catheter, and the puncture needle is insertable so far into the guide catheter that the ground tip of the puncture needle protrudes beyond the distal end of the guide catheter. The maximum diameter of the guidewire is smaller than the minimum internal diameter of the puncture needle, with the result that the guidewire can be guided through the puncture needle such that its end protrudes beyond the ground tip of the puncture needle.

A balloon catheter including a heating element disposed about a portion of an outer surface of a catheter shaft; a balloon mounted about the outer surface of the catheter shaft to coincide with the heating element; and thermally expandable material disposed inside the mounted balloon. The balloon catheter eliminating the need for pressurized liquid inflation media to be dispensed into/expelled from the balloon in order to inflate/deflate, respectively, the balloon.

A ventricular assist device is provided, including a blood pump, a driveline and a feedthrough. The blood pump includes a pump housing, an axi-symmetric oval-shaped blood sac and stem assembly received in the pump housing, and a pressure sensing system embedded in the pump housing. The driveline includes a pneumatic lumen, at least one electric wire and a tether included in a wall of the driveline, wherein the electric wires and the tether are disposed on the pneumatic lumen. The feedthrough connects the driveline to the pump housing.

A patient interface assembly includes a flexible cushion configured to sealingly engage the patient's nares and a frame with a pair of flexible extending members that extend laterally from opposite sides of the frame. The frame and the flexible cushion together form a chamber. The patient interface assembly also includes a positioning and stabilising structure configured to maintain the flexible cushion in engagement with the patient's nares. The positioning and stabilizing structure has a pair of headgear straps. Each headgear strap is connected to a respective one of the flexible extending members. The flexible extending members do not form an airflow path for the breathable gas. The headgear straps have a multi-layered structure, at least one layer being made of fabric and at least one layer being made of plastic. In addition, the at least one plastic layer is a rigidizer that adds rigidity to the respective headgear strap.

A patient interface for delivering pressurized breathable gas to a patient includes a flexible sealing portion with an orifice and sides that are adapted to engage with and form a seal with sides of the patient's nose. The orifice is configured so that a supply of breathable gas is deliverable to the patient through the orifice. The patient interface also includes a supporting portion that is in contact with and supports the flexible sealing portion. The patient interface further includes a pair of lateral headgear connector arms arranged at an angle with respect to the orifice in the flexible sealing portion. Each lateral headgear connector arm has a headgear tab. The angle between each lateral headgear connector arm and the orifice is adjustable. In addition, the flexibility of the lateral headgear connector arms allows the headgear tabs to touch an outer surface of the flexible sealing portion.

An apparatus and methods for tissue restoration are provided. The apparatus may include a catheter shaft extending from a proximal end to a distal tip, the catheter shaft defining lumens including an inflation lumen and a light fiber lumen, a coated balloon positioned on a translucent distal segment of the catheter shaft proximal to the distal tip in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, the coated distal balloon comprising a translucent material and a coated material on an outer surface of the coated balloon, and a light fiber positioned in the catheter shaft in the light fiber lumen and extending through the translucent distal segment.

In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing an aperture plate includes depositing a releasable seed layer above a substrate, applying a first patterned photolithography mask above the releasable seed layer, the first patterned photolithography mask having a negative pattern to a desired aperture pattern, electroplating a first material above the exposed portions of the releasable seed layer and defined by the first mask, applying a second photolithography mask above the first material, the second photolithography mask having a negative pattern to a first cavity, electroplating a second material above the exposed portions of the first material and defined by the second mask, removing both masks, and etching the releasable seed layer to release the first material and the second material. The first and second material form an aperture plate for use in aerosolizing a liquid. Other aperture plates and methods of producing aperture plates are described according to other embodiments.

There is provided a microneedle patch. The microneedle patch includes: a plurality of microneedles each having an upper end portion and a base portion and which are individualized from each other; and a base layer that is formed of a water-soluble material and includes linear portions that pass the base portions of the microneedles neighboring each other among the plurality of microneedles and are joined to the base portions of the microneedles neighboring each other.

Provided is a syringe gasket including a first member, and a second member connected to the first member and coupled to a plunger rod of a syringe. The first member includes a top face contacting with the liquid, and a first side circumferential face that faces an inner circumferential face of a barrel of the syringe. The first side circumferential face has, at an end portion thereof close to the second member, a ring-like trimmed face. An inert film is laminated on the top face and the portion of the first side circumferential face other than the ring-like trimmed face. The second member includes a second side circumferential face that faces the inner circumferential face of the barrel, and a ring-like protruding portion that projects outward in the radial direction from the second side circumferential face. The ring-like protruding portion at least partially covers the ring-like trimmed face.

A medication component mixing system is formed of a first syringe, such as a female syringe, and a second syringe such as a male syringe, wherein the system is configured to mix a female portion and a male portion of the medication. The female syringe and the male syringe mechanically couple to one another in an end-to-end fashion for mixing of the contents of the female and male portions.