Methods, devices, and systems for mechanically reducing the volume of the lung. Some embodiments include endobronchially positioning an anchoring device within a lung, the anchoring device comprising at least a distal anchor, expanding at least a portion of the distal anchor to anchor the distal anchor against lung lumen tissue, and tensioning at least a portion of the device to reduce the volume of the lung.

A traction tool for performing traction, of a suture thread under a flexible endoscope is provided. The traction toot includes a first holder configured to hold the suture thread or a suture needle attached to the suture thread; a second holder having an engaging surface configured to engage the suture, thread such that the suture thread is capable of advancing and retracting and configured to release an engagement with the suture thread; and a guide member holding the first holder and the second holder such that the first holder and the second holder are relatively movable.

A traction tool for performing traction of suture thread under a flexible endoscope is provided. The tool includes a shaft, a first holder which is provided at a distal end of the shaft and is configured to hold the suture thread or a suture needle attached to the suture thread, and second holder which is provided closer to a proximal end side of the shaft than the first holder and to which the suture thread is hooked. The second holder is expandable in a radial direction of the shaft.

Devices and methods for securing prostheses such as heart valves or annuloplasty rings with sutures and without using knots are disclosed. The devices are particularly well suited for traditional surgery or minimally invasive surgery, and improve the ease of implantation by eliminating surgical knots a clinician would normally tie in the limited space in and around the implant site. The devices have opposed the clamp halves surrounded by a coil spring. Sutures pass between the clamp halves and the coil spring has an inner coil diameter sufficient to compress the sutures between the clamp. A retention member positioned between the clamp halves maintains a minimum space and therebetween to enable the locking device to be slid along the sutures into position, and to adjust the tension of the sutures therethrough. A delivery tool may be used to deliver and deploy the locking devices.

The present invention describes systems and methods for treating mitral valve regurgitation. The treatment includes a systems and method of modifying the mitral valve by attaching a device to each leaflet and pulling them toward each other to stop mitral valve regurgitation.

Surgical constructs and methods for soft tissue to bone repairs, without knot tying. The soft tissue repair constructs include a fixation device, a flexible strand, and a shuttle/pull device attached to the flexible strand and provided within the body of the fixation device. A splice is formed by pulling on the shuttle/pull device to allow desired tensioning of soft tissue to be fixated or repaired relative to the bone.

Methods and devices for transvascular prosthetic chordae tendinea implantation are disclosed. A catheter is advanced into the left atrium, through the mitral valve, and into the left ventricle. A ventricular anchor is deployed from the catheter and into a wall of the left ventricle, leaving a ventricular suture attached to the ventricular anchor and extending proximally through the catheter. A leaflet anchor is deployed to secure a mitral valve leaflet to a leaflet suture, with the leaflet suture extending proximally through the catheter. The leaflet suture is secured to the ventricular suture to limit a range of travel of the leaflet in the direction of the left atrium. Also disclosed is an assembled in situ mitral valve leaflet restraint, having a neo papillary muscle and a neo chordae tendinea.

Methods and apparatuses for applying tensile force to one or more tissue regions within a body. Illustratively, an implant ball including a spherical side wall is received within a tubular organ, and tensile sutures extend through the implant ball for applying a tensile force to facilitate elongation of the tubular organ.

Methods and systems are provided for securing tissue to bone. A surgical system can include a driver device, an elongate shaft receivable within the driver device and having a dilator feature at its distal end, and a capture suture extending through the shaft such that the capture suture's terminal end portions extend to a more proximal position on the driver and the capture suture forms a loop that extends through an opening formed through a side of the shaft. The loop is configured to receive at least one retention suture therethrough and can be tightened by pulling the capture suture's terminal ends, thereby coupling the retention suture with the suture anchor. Once the shaft is inserted into bone and the loop with the retention suture is closed, the suture anchor is driven distally towards the dilator features and into the bone to secure the retaining suture in the bone.

A connection tool for a tongue manipulation system comprising: a connector configured to be coupled to a tongue advancer tether (801); a connection tool body (1313) and separable removal cannula part (1315) configured to follow a tongue advancer tether line (801) in order to enable a removal sleeve (1335) located at least partially within the separable removal cannula part (1315) to contact the tongue advancer (305), the separable removal cannula part (1315) being configured to be separated from the connection tool body (1313) following the removal sleeve (1335) contacting the tongue advancer (305) and to expose a proximal end of the removal sleeve (1335).