Technologies are described for an endoscopic duct clearing system. A cannula can be shaped to pass through an endoscope within an esophagus, into a duodenum, and through an incision in a duodenal papilla. A capture basket may be deployed from a distal end of the cannula. A hand control at the proximate end of the cannula may be operable to position the distal end of the cannula from outside the endoscope into proximity of blockage material. A suction line may be coupled from a suction source to the proximate end of the cannula. A suction control may be coupled to the suction source. The suction control may be operable to adjust a level of suction drawn by the suction source through the distal end of the cannula. The suction control may be adjusted to draw the blockage material against or into the cannula for removal from the patient.

A system for treating mitral regurgitation may include an outer sheath having a lumen extending to a distal end of the outer sheath, an intermediate sheath slidably disposed within the lumen of the outer sheath, the intermediate sheath having a lumen extending to a distal end of the intermediate sheath, and an inner sheath slidably disposed within the lumen of the intermediate sheath, wherein the inner sheath includes a first anchor disposed within a lumen of the inner sheath, the first anchor being configured to penetrate and secure to a first papillary muscle. The intermediate sheath may include a tissue grasping mechanism at the distal end of the intermediate sheath, the tissue grasping mechanism being configured to hold and stabilize the first papillary muscle for penetration and securement of the first anchor to the first papillary muscle.

An obesity treatment apparatus comprises at least one operable stretching device (10) implantable in an obese patient and adapted to stretch a portion (12a) of the patient's stomach wall (12), and an operation device (16, 18) for operating the stretching device when implanted to stretch the stomach wall portion such that satiety is created.

A septostomy device 10 with a cutting structure or means 140 and tissue capture mechanisms 240, 250 is disclosed, along with a medical procedure for using the device. The system 10 is configured in such a way as to create a permanent interatrial aperture in the heart, including creating a permanent interatrial hole and/or removing tissue.

A device for use in the treatment of hemorrhoids. The device includes an elongated tube-shaped element that includes a forward end and an aft end. The aft end provides access to the interior of the tube-shaped element. The tube-shaped element extends along a longitudinal axis L and includes at least one opening formed between the forward and aft end. The device includes an anal mucosa support device removably arranged within the tube shape element. The support device includes at least two cavities to receive anal mucosa. At least one needle guide structure is formed in the elongated tube-shaped element and the anal mucosa support device such that at least one needle is capable of being guided during movement within the tube-shaped element across the at least two cavities in the anal mucosa support device to a position where the needle extends across the opening in the tube-shaped element.

An epicardial implant having a positioning device that defines an open interior. The positioning device is configured to be detachably coupled with an implant delivery device such that the positioning device may be detached from the implant delivery device after the implant is in place about an atrial appendage. The positioning device has first and second sides with a distal end that couples the first and second sides. The implant includes an expandable cuff coupled with the positioning device. The positioning device is configured to selectively move the expandable cuff toward and away from an atrial appendage to position the expandable cuff in a desired position relative to the atrial appendage. The expandable cuff is expandable into at least a portion of the open interior of the positioning device to physically occlude a base of the atrial appendage following placement of the expandable cuff into the desired position.

According to one aspect, an apparatus for treating tissue may include an elongate tube. The elongate tube may include a slot extending longitudinally along a first side of the elongate tube, a first elongate jaw member on a first side of the slot, and a second elongate jaw member on a second side of the slot. The apparatus may also include a shaft coupled to the elongate tube along a second side of the elongate tube. The first elongate jaw member may be movably coupled to the shaft, such that the first elongate jaw member may be movable toward the second elongate jaw member to converge tissue walls within the slot and cut the tissue walls within the slot.

Exemplary embodiments of apparatus and method for harvesting small portions of tissue (“micrografts”) to form grafts can be provided. For example, a hollow tube can be inserted into tissue at a donor site, where a distal end of the hollow tube can have two or more points or extensions to facilitate separation of the micrografts from the surrounding tissue. The exemplary apparatus can be provided that includes a plurality of such tubes for simultaneous harvesting of a plurality of micrografts. The harvested micrografts can have a small dimension, e.g., less than about 1 mm, or less than about 0.3 mm, which can promote healing of the donor site and/or viability of the harvested tissue. The micrografts can be approximately cylindrical or strip-shaped, and can be placed in a biocompatible matrix to form a graft or directly into tissue at the recipient site. Such exemplary micrografts can be obtained from skin or other types of tissue, e.g., various internal organs.

The present invention relates to a suction device for foreign substances from the body, which may comprise: a suction body that has an internal space, extends a predetermined length, and is brought into contact with the skin; a gripping tube body that extends from the suction body so as to be able to slide up and down along the outer circumferential surface of the suction body, and which can be wrapped and gripped by hand; and a piston body that is connected to the gripping tube body to be provided in the internal space of the suction body and selectivey generates a negative pressure in the internal space while interlocking with the up-and-down motion of the gripping tube body. According to the present invention, foreign substances that penetrated the skin can be quickly sucked and removed through a simple operation.

Disclosed are embodiments of an apparatus and system for performing a sleeve gastrectomy. The apparatus can include a bougie for insertion into an interior of a stomach, the bougie having a proximal bougie end and a distal bougie end, an inflation lumen having a proximal lumen end and a distal lumen end, the inflation lumen extending from the proximal bougie end through the distal bougie end, a fluid delivery system coupled with the proximal lumen end, the fluid delivery system being operably configured to deliver positive pressure in a predetermined positive pressure range into the stomach, and a monitor coupled with the proximal lumen end operably configured for the monitoring of pressure or volume within the stomach. The bougie can be operably configured to define a resection line for the sleeve gastrectomy when the predetermined positive pressure range is achieved within the stomach.