The invention relates to a blade-type check valve for gaseous and liquid media, to be used in medical technologies as well as in waste water technology with at least three triangular blades, grouped in round configuration at the edges of a polygonal bore of a valve ring or housing, with the number of blades corresponding to the number of faces of the bore. At least at one of the three sides, the valve blades feature an integrated joint, which may also consist of fabric, whereas the two other sides of the valve blades form an articulated lock. The valve can be installed in any position and closes automatically, actuated by the backflow respectively return flow of the medium, without external energy.

A solid medication insertion device includes a barrel having an insertion end portion and a proximal end portion opposite the insertion end portion and having a continuous side wall extending therebetween that defines an interior area. A medicament is initially positioned in the interior area of the barrel. The medication insertion device includes a plunger slidably coupled to the barrel that has a first end engaging a proximal end of the medicament, the plunger having a cylindrical configuration selectively slidable from a starter configuration extending away from the proximal end portion of the barrel to a deployed configuration positioned downstream inside the interior area of the barrel. Pressure applied to the plunger causes the plunger to urge the medicament downstream within the interior area of the barrel. The medication insertion device, i.e., the suppository applicator, is constructed using a material consisting essentially of hemp plastic.

Parallel plate devices for hemofiltration or hemodialysis are provided. A parallel plate device includes a parallel plate assembly having an aligned stack of stackable plate subunits, each stackable plate subunit having a through channel for blood, where the blood channels are opened up at opposite ends of the parallel plate assembly. The parallel plate assembly is configured to form filtrate/dialysate channels interleaved with the blood channels, adjacent channels being separated by a silicon nanoporous filtration membrane. A blood conduit adaptor is attached to the parallel plate assembly at each of the ends, and is configured to distribute blood to or collect blood from the blood channels. Also provided are systems and methods for using the parallel plate devices.

A hemodynamic flow assist device includes a miniature pump, a basket-like cage enclosing and supporting the pump, and a motor to drive the pump. The device is implanted and retrieved in a minimally invasive manner via percutaneous access to a patient's artery. The device has a first, collapsed configuration to assist in implantation and a second, expanded configuration once deployed and active. The device is deployed within a patient's aorta and is secured in place via a self-expanding cage which engages the inner wall of the aorta. The device includes a helical screw pump with self-expanding blades, sensors, and anchoring structures. Also disclosed is a retrieval device to remove the hemodynamic flow assist device once it is no longer needed by the patient and an arterial closure device to close the artery access point after implantation and removal of the hemodynamic flow assist device. The hemodynamic flow assist device helps to increase blood flow in patients suffering from congestive heart failure and awaiting heart transplant.

In an implanted medical device system, an internal controller, external power transmitter and methods for performing battery conditioning are disclosed. According to one aspect, an internal controller includes processing circuitry configured to cause conditioning of an internal battery of the internal controller responsive to a direction from an external power transmitter in radio communication with the internal controller.

Glaucoma treatment devices are disclosed. In various example, the glaucoma treatment devices include a body and a fluid conduit that are configured to help facilitate evacuation of fluid from a fluid-filled body cavity, and reabsorption of the evacuated aqueous humor by the body through tissue surrounding the glaucoma treatment device. In some examples, the glaucoma treatment device is configured such that a flow resistance through the fluid conduit can be modified post-operatively one or more times.

A blood pump for supporting a patient's heart includes a flow cannula having a distal portion including a distal end and a proximal portion including a proximal end opposite the distal end, the distal end of the flow cannula configured to be connected to the patient's heart or a blood vessel to establish fluid communication between the blood pump and the patient's heart and blood vessel, respectively. The flow cannula further includes an intermediate portion attached to the distal portion and the proximal portion, wherein the intermediate portion allows twisting thereof with a lower force than the distal portion and the proximal portion. The intermediate portion can be fully occluded by twisting it. At least a portion of the intermediate portion either alone or in combination with the distal portion is adapted to be permanently attached to the patient's heart or a blood vessel.

Implantable devices may include a single, first component or a plurality of components such as first and second components, the second component being flexibly coupled to the first component. A socket extends over one or more of the component(s), the socket being configured to enhance the inter-component interaction and/or including one or more exposed surface(s) configured to exhibit one or more tiers of foreign body responses within a range of possible foreign body responses.

A method for treating central nervous system tumors is a patient comprising: treating the patient intravenously with therapeutic agent including Cremophor EL-free paclitaxel, and disrupting a blood-brain barrier within the brain of the patient by the use of an ultrasound device and intravenous microbubble injection. In other methods, the subject is treated with a therapeutic agent comprising an albumin-bound paclitaxel that crosses the blood brain barrier. In this manner, the disruption of the blood-brain barrier increases the concentration of paclitaxel in the brain as compared to the concentration of paclitaxel in the brain without blood-brain barrier disruption and intravenous microbubble injection.

A penis erection stimulation system comprises an implantable drug delivery device for delivering a drug to a penis to achieve erection of the penis. An infusion needle of the device is placed outside a left or a right corpus cavernosum in close proximity thereto and advanced into and retracted from, as well as deliver a drug when advanced into, at least one of: the left or right corpus cavernosum, one or two of deep arteries thereof, muscle tissue regulating blood flow through the right, left or both corpus cavernosum and tissue in close proximity to the left, right or both corpus cavernosum. The at least one infusion needle fits in a position in between the left and right corpus cavernosum at a base of the penile tissue placed inside a patient's body where the left and right corpus cavernosum are deviating away from each other.