A blood vessel dissecting device is disclosed, which includes a dissecting device which, when being inserted into a living body along a blood vessel, dissects tissue in a direction of alignment thereof with the blood vessel, and a cutting device which, when being inserted into the living body along the blood vessel, cuts tissue surrounding the blood vessel in a direction of alignment thereof with the blood vessel. The cutting device includes a main body section which is inserted into the living body and holds the tissue between itself and the dissecting device, and a cutting section which cuts the tissue held between the main body section and the dissecting device.

A shunt comprises a central flow portion configured to fit at least partially within an opening in a tissue wall. The tissue wall is situated between a first anatomical chamber and a second anatomical chamber and the opening represents a blood flow path between the first anatomical chamber and the second anatomical chamber. The central flow portion is further configured to maintain the blood flow path from the first anatomical chamber to the second anatomical chamber. The shunt further comprises a barrier configured to alter growth of tissue around the shunt.

A tissue treatment catheter and system include a catheter shaft sized and shaped for delivery through a radial artery to a blood vessel of a patient. The catheter shaft has several lumens, including a guidewire lumen, a cable lumen, and one or more fluid lumens. A stiffening web extends from the guidewire lumen and is thicker than an outer wall of the catheter shaft. The tissue treatment catheter and system include an ultrasound transducer, a balloon surrounding the ultrasound transducer, and a single electrical cable electrically connected to the ultrasound transducer to deliver sufficient electrical energy during sonication to the transducer such that the transducer thermally induces modulation of neural fibers surrounding the blood vessel sufficient to improve a measurable physiological parameter corresponding to a diagnosed condition of the patient. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Vascular closure devices and methods for closing a blood vessel puncture site disposed at a distal end of a tissue tract are described. A combination of the body's own natural mechanism with chemical and/or biological agents is relied upon to accelerate the hemostatic process. Included are steps of introducing a closure device through the tissue tract and deploying an expansible member at a distal end of the device within the blood vessel to occlude the puncture site. A sealing member disposed proximal the expansible member is then displaced by retracting and tensioning a coil spring so as to expose a chemical and/or biological region or release region of the device. The retraction and tensioning of the coil spring is limited by a coupling member. Exposure of blood and tissue to the chemical and/or biological sealing member promotes the clotting processing to accelerate the occlusion process in the tract.

Catheter-delivered endovascular medical devices are described. The devices may include a pull wire attached to a distal body. The distal body may be formed of a distal body outer body comprising a basket comprised of a plurality of cells defined by a plurality of basket strips and a distal body inner body located in the interior of the distal body outer body and comprising a plurality of distal braided mesh openings formed by a plurality of woven linear strands. The distal braided mesh openings may be smaller than the cells when the device is in the relaxed state. Methods of using and making the devices are also described.

A device for closing an aperture in a vessel wall including a covering member positionable inside the vessel against the internal opening of the aperture and having a dimension to prevent egress of fluid through the aperture. The covering member has a proximal surface and a distal surface, the distal surface having a concave surface and the proximal surface having a raised surface, wherein four openings are positioned in the raised surface. First and second retainers are positionable external of the vessel and first and second connecting members advance the respective first and second retainers toward the covering member.

A device for closing an aperture in a vessel wall including a covering member positionable inside the vessel against the internal opening of the aperture and having a dimension to prevent egress of fluid through the aperture. The covering member has a proximal surface and a distal surface, the distal surface having a concave surface and the proximal surface having a raised surface, wherein four openings are positioned in the raised surface. First and second retainers are positionable external of the vessel and first and second connecting members advance the respective first and second retainers toward the covering member.

A tissue clipping apparatus, comprises a flexible, elongate member, a proximal end of which remains external to the body accessible to a user while a distal end of the flexible member is inserted into the body to a location adjacent to target tissue to be clipped and a control wire extending through the flexible member in combination with a capsule releasably coupled to a distal end of the flexible member and a clip a proximal portion of which is received within the capsule. A joint releasably coupling the clip to the control wire, includes a yoke extending around a proximal end of the clip and a frangible link which fails when subject to a predetermined force to separate the clip from the control wire.

Valve apparatuses and methods are provided for controlling blood flow in a vein of an individual. One example valve apparatus includes at least one valve member configured to be positioned adjacent to an exterior surface of a vein of an individual and outside of a lumen of the vein, at least one sensor configured to be positioned adjacent to the exterior surface of the vein, and a controller configured to receive, from the at least one sensor, a signal representing one or more characteristics of blood flow through the lumen, determine a direction of the blood flow based on the one or more characteristics, and in response to the determined direction of the blood flow being away from a heart of the individual, activate the at least one valve member to occlude blood flow through the lumen away from the heart.

A target substance, such as a thrombus, is removed from a patient's body via minimally invasive technique. A catheter is maneuvered and positioned near the target substance. The catheter may have a soft, atraumatic tip constructed from a metallic backbone covered by a polymer. Target substances are drawn into the catheter via an aspiration source. Near the catheter's distal end, a blade and opposing surface are housed within the catheter, and the blade moves relative to the opposing surface within the catheter lumen in order to fragment the target substance. The substances are fragmented within the catheter into discreet and relatively uniform particles. The aspiration source, which helps ensnare target substances, also serves to evacuate the substance fragments from the patient's body.