Guidewires useful for cooperating with catheters may be actively steered and/or provide adjustable stiffness. Angle or curvature of a guidewire, and/or flexural modulus of a guidewire, may be adjusted at one or more locations between ends thereof. Variable stiffness segments may include electrically operated compressible and/or extensible materials. Multiple tensile elements may terminate at different body elements to adjust angle or curvature at multiple locations. Multiple circumferentially and/or radially contractible fiber regions may be provided and distributed over a length of a guidewire. Adjustable flexure elements arranged in or along a guidewire may be electrically operated. A flexible core member may be centrally arranged in a tubular body. A flexible guide wire or track may cooperate with electrically operable motor units.

Disclosed are various examples and embodiments of a cardiac mapping catheter configured for electrophysiological (EP) mapping and suitable for intravascular insertion in a patient's heart, and methods of making same. The cardiac mapping catheter comprises a plurality support arms having electrodes disposed thereon. Various configurations of the cardiac mapping catheter are described and disclosed which provide improved spatial resolution and sensing of EP signals acquired from inside a patient's heart.

Devices, systems, and methods for detecting a sealing condition between a patient interface and a patient, and adjusting the patient interface to maintain the patient interface in sealing contact with the patient. The patient interface may include a sealing structure to form a seal on the patient, and a positioning structure to secure the sealing structure to the patient. The patient interface may include a sensor coupled to the sealing structure. A processor determines the sealing condition between the sealing structure and the patient based on a signal from the sensor, and adjusts at least one of the sealing structure and the positioning structure to maintain the sealing structure in sealing contact with the patient. A prediction system predicts a leak between the sealing structure and the patient based on the sensor signal. A learning system learns how to fit the sealing structure to the patient to form a seal.

A tubing assembly includes a signal generating apparatus for a catheter placement system. The tubing assembly includes a catheter and a signal generating apparatus. The catheter includes an elongate shaft having a wall surrounding a lumen. The signal generating apparatus includes at least one electromagnetic coil and at least one electrically conductive polymer that is configured to electrically connect the at least one electromagnetic coil to a monitor unit.

An endotracheal tube includes a main tubular portion including a distal end and a proximal end opposite the distal end, the main tubular portion including a central lumen at least in part defined by a wall of the main tubular portion; a wire lumen disposed within the wall of the main tubular portion, the wire lumen defined at least in part by a sidewall portion of the wire lumen and extending from about the proximal end of the main tubular portion to about the distal end of the main tubular portion; a wire disposed in the wire lumen; and one or more cutouts extending along a portion of the wall of the main tubular portion, the cutouts comprising openings in the sidewall portion of the wire lumen, wherein the cutouts are not in fluid communication with the central lumen.

A device is disclosed. The device includes a housing that defines a chamber. The chamber is to be at least partially filled with an electrolyte material. The device also includes a plurality of electrodes that are at least partially embedded in the housing and exposed to the chamber. The device further includes an access port that provides fluid communication between an interior of the housing and the outside environs.

A medical device (10) configured for attachment to skin of a patient includes a vital sign sensor or drug delivery patch (14); and a plurality of suction cells (12) arranged around a periphery of the vital sign sensor or drug delivery patch.

A novel embodiment of a drive mechanism for use in a pump, for example, of the type that would be used in a wearable drug delivery system, comprises, a cylindrically-shaped slider element configured with a channel on a circumferential surface thereof defining one or more zig-zag-shaped tracks therethrough. One or more pegs are engaged within the tracks, such that a back and forth longitudinal motion of the slider element along a radial axis of the cylinder causes movement of the pegs along one of the tracks through the channel, thus providing a movement of the pegs around the circumference of the cylinder which imparts a rotational motion to a header element disposed co-axially with the slider. The header element is in turn connected to a gear train, for example, a planetary gear box, which is coupled to the pump via a linkage or other type of mechanism.

An invention directed to an implant device having a biointerface. The implant device comprises a cavity and a structure enabling a flow path between the cavity and an environment of the implant device. An actuatable membrane is interposed in the flow path. The device includes a power-generating unit and a control unit, where the latter is connected to the power-generating unit. An electromechanical is connected to both the control unit and the power-generating unit. The electromechanical system includes at least one actuator configured to mechanically contact the membrane. This actuator is permanently attached to the membrane. The control unit and the electromechanical system are jointly configured to cause the electromechanical system to controllably actuate the membrane via at least one actuator to control a transfer of substances between the cavity and the environment through the flow path. The invention is further directed to related operation and fabrication methods.

A self-contained peristaltic pump includes a flexible flow conduit with a plurality of circumferential and/or longitudinal shapechange elements distributed longitudinally and/or transversely along the longitudinal axis of the flow conduit. The activations of the shapechange elements result in the positive displacement of fluid in the anterograde direction (i.e. from the anterior end of the pump to the posterior end).