An improved gastroesophageal reflux preventer and related methods are provided. The improved gastroesophageal reflux preventer may include an absorbable material able to be placed in contact with a body organ and configured to induce a scarification of the body organ in response to absorption by the body organ of the material. In this manner, a proximate sphincter may be tightened, such as to ameliorate reflux through a gastroesophageal sphincter.

An occlusion device including a first component configured to anchor the occlusion device with respect to a deployment site, and a second component configured to occlude a lumen through the occlusion device. The first component may be in the form of a stent. The second component may be in the form of a stent or in the form of a liner within the first component. The second component includes an occlusion structure configured to extend across (e.g., transverse to the longitudinal axis of) the lumen of the first component. The occlusion structure may be on a retention member of the second component which engages with a retention member of the first component. Additionally or alternatively, the occlusion structure may be a portion of a liner cinched to occlude the lumen through the occlusion device.

A device for implanting an inflatable intra-gastric balloon for implanting the intra-gastric balloon into a stomach, comprising: —an elastically deformable sheath configured to receive the intra-gastric balloon in the deflated state, the sheath comprising a side wall, —a tube configured to be supplied with a fluid and to cause the fluid to inflate the intra-gastric balloon, the tube comprising a mouthpiece, the intra-gastric balloon being attached to the mouthpiece in the deflated state and being detached from the mouthpiece in the inflated state, the mouthpiece having an inflation position wherein the mouthpiece extends in the cavity of the sheath, and the side wall of the sheath having a side opening configured to release the intra-gastric balloon from the cavity when the intra-gastric balloon moves from the deflated state to the inflated state.

A gastric vest system for treating excessive weight or obesity in mammals. The gastric vest system may include a trapezoidal-shaped vest having a left edge, a right edge, an upper indentation, and a lower indentation, and the trapezoidal-shaped vest is configured to be wrapped around a stomach or a modified stomach of a mammal to cover a lesser curvature and a greater curvature of the stomach or the modified stomach.

An orthopedic device for supporting a lower limb and/or a lower back of a user includes at least one upper joint element, at least one lower joint element which can be pivoted relative to the upper joint element, and at least one actuator configured to apply a torque to the upper joint element and/or the lower joint element. Application of a torque pivots the upper joint element and the lower joint element relative to each other. The orthopedic device also includes at least one ground contact element which is connected to the lower joint element such that when the orthopedicdevice is in the mounted state, the torque applied by the at least one passive actuator is transmitted by the ground contact element to a ground on which the user is located.

Embodiments herein relate to an implantable device comprising a casing, a semi-permeable membrane plug at or near a first end of the casing, a piston, beads, and an opening for release of the beads from the implantable device within a body of a human or an animal; wherein the implantable device is configured to be implanted within the body of the human or the animal during delivery of the beads into the body of the human or the animal; wherein the beads comprise a core and a shell with the core being enclosed by the shell and the beads contain a drug; and wherein the implantable device is configured to produce a desired flow rate of elution of the drug from the implantable device when the implantable device is implanted within the body of the human or the animal.

Devices and methods for treating obesity are provided. More particularly, intragastric devices and methods of fabricating, deploying, inflating, monitoring, and retrieving the same are provided. More particularly, apparatuses and methods for enabling volume-occupying intragastric devices to pass through the digestive system are provided.

An ankle foot orthosis to be worn inside a common shoe that corrects ankle pronation by gently axially rotating and rolling the foot in the corrective direction by pulling from the shin assembly while further enhancing the corrective rolling with strategically placed posts on the medial edge of the sole. Rigidity of the foot assembly is paired with the flexibility of the shin assembly for donning a foot into the device when combined with a wide variety of common shoes. Features are also provided to A) support the longitudal, transverse, metatarsal, and peroneal arches, thus enhancing the stability of the foot; and B) to support the plantar vault, thus enhancing the stability of the foot.

A non-invasive system for inducing penile blood vessel and erectile tissue volume changes, comprising a cylindrical socket, having interior walls and an open end with a circumferential sealing element, and a control unit connected to pressure pumps are provided, wherein a compartment defined by the sealing element and the interior walls is in a state of positive pressure, or in a state of sub-atmospheric pressure. Pressure reservoirs, connectable to the compartment and to the pressure pumps, and mechanical switching elements connected to the pressure reservoirs are provided. Measuring elements are also provided, wherein the control unit is capable of receiving a signal from the measuring elements and determining a time, rate and shape of measured pulse-waves, and wherein the control unit is gated by the measuring element to control the switching elements to switch connectivity of the compartment to the reservoir and alternately switch the compartment between states.

Methods, devices and systems for delivering a device assembly using a shaped body allowing for ease of ingestion of a gastric device into a gastric space, allowing the gastric device to expand to occupy volume within the gastric space and, after an effective period of time release from the body.