The disclosed technology provides a device for sealing an aperture in a tissue of a body lumen. The device comprises a flexible support member having a base having (i) a central portion and (ii) one or more lateral support portions, to engage and/or hold a sealable member of the device against an interior surface of the tissue when the device is in the sealing position. The lateral support portions provide additional support surfaces to engage peripheral portions of the sealable member against the interior surface of the tissue.

A device (300) for the suturing and closing of laparoscopic incisions, comprising: a. a central stem b. a plurality of ribs (34b) hingedly connected to said upper rib member by a locking joint (54), said lower rib member comprising a suture needle holder (36) at free end; c. a cap (33), d. a plurality of rigid stretchers (35), interconnected by a hinge to the distal end of said outer shaft (31a) and said upper rib member (34a); the outer shaft configured to slide along the inner shaft and urge said rigid stretchers to extend from a closed configuration of rib, stretcher and shaft in substantially parallel contact, to an open configuration defined by an angle subtended by said inner shaft (32) and said rigid stretchers (35).

A trocar wound closure system includes a suture passing needle and a guide for directing the needle through the wound site. A distal portion of the needle includes a capture rod with a slot. An obturator tube with a cutout section can be axially actuated to align the cutout section with the slot, and then moved out of alignment so as to capture the suture. The guide includes at least two tracks for directing the needle through the tissue track. A suture catcher is located adjacent to the exit of each track and configured to be actuated from a radially extended configuration to a retracted configuration so as to capture the suture section inserted through each loop. Radially expandable arms at distal section are movable between an expanded configuration and a slender configuration.

Systems, devices and methods for securing tissue including the annulus of a mitral valve. The systems, devices and methods may employ catheter based techniques and devices to plicate tissue and perform an annuloplasty.

An electrical lead for implantation in a patient is disclosed. The electrical lead can include a distal portion configured to split apart into sub-portions that travel in multiple directions during implantation into the patient and an electrode extension that increases a distance between an electrode and one or more other electrodes on the distal portion of the lead and/or facilitates contact of the electrode with patient tissue.

A use of an umbilical splint for shaping an umbilicus after an abdominal operation is described. The umbilical splint may comprise an insertion portion extending in a longitudinal direction and terminating at an insertion end for insertion into the umbilicus. Furthermore, the insertion portion may comprise a bulbous section near the insertion end. The bulbous section may be operable to apply pressure to a tissue of the umbilicus after the abdominal operation. The insertion portion may have different cross-sectional shapes including circular and oval. Finally, the insertion portion may be configured to engage the umbilicus such that the umbilical splint is retained within the umbilicus.

A drive-enhanceable handheld advancer is provided for advancing an elongate device through a pathway defined in an advancer body that includes a rotatable manual thumbwheel partially embedded in the body for receiving a user-exerted manual control movement from a thumb, and a manual drive having a nip, a transmission, and a reverse clutch. The transmission operatively connects the thumbwheel to the nip for driving advancement, and the reverse clutch maintains a first interference grip connection between the nip and the elongate device. The manual control thumbwheel can move inward responsive to user-applied grip movements to increase grip with the elongate device. The reverse clutch applies augmented force from grip movements to the nip for increasing the grip drive connection, which can be applied at a different angle from the inward movements. The reverse clutch can include slotted pivot supports for the thumbwheel and drive rollers on the advancer body.

A method for closing an opening in biological tissue of intra-abdominal structures, which includes the steps of (i) providing a tissue closure system that includes a suture guide sub-system for engaging tissue disposed proximate the tissue opening and a suture passer sub-system that slideably engages the suture guide sub-system, (ii) inserting the suture guide sub-system into and through a tissue opening, (iii) inserting the suture passer sub-system with a section of suture engaged thereto into and through a first tissue region, (iv) rotating the suture guide sub-system, (v) inserting the suture passer sub-system with another section of suture engaged thereto into and through a second tissue region, (vi) withdrawing suture guide sub-system, (vii) releasing both sections of the suture captured by the suture guide sub-system, and (viii) drawing both sections of the suture together, wherein the first and second tissue regions are drawn together and the tissue opening is closed.

This application discloses an occlusive device that includes a frame movable between a deliver condition and a blocking condition, the frame including a center region, a plurality of distal arms, a plurality of proximal arms, where both the distal and proximal arms curve away from the center region, with flexible sheet material couple to both the distal and proximal arms that block a lumen when the frame is in the blocking condition. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing the occlusive device and a medical device incorporating the occlusive device.

A device for folding an implant having a wing into a an overlapped configuration includes a funnel body comprising: a first portion configured to receive and protect the implant when the wing of the implant is in a flat or relaxed state, a second portion proximal to the first portion and configured to engage and fold opposite first and second side portions of the wing of the implant in a predetermined direction when the implant is retracted proximally from the first portion of the funnel body and into the second portion of the funnel body, and an overlap guide configured to direct the path of a first one of the side portions of the wing such that the first and second side portions of the wing are overlapped in a predetermined manner and to prevent respective edges of the first and second side portions of the wing from butting into each other as the first and second side portions of the wing are guided into the overlapping configuration during proximal retraction of the implant relative to the funnel body.