A guide cap and a loading system for loading an implant into a delivery system are disclosed which are capable of simplifying operations required in interventional surgery using the implant. The guide cap has a lumen passing therethrough and includes: a conical section; a straight or conical tube in communication with a small open end of the conical section; and a flange, wherein a large open end of the conical section flares outward and thereby forms the flange. The loading system includes a guider and the guide cap. During the process of loading the implant into the delivery system, the guide cap enables the valve prosthesis to be coupled to the connector of the delivery system and allows the valve prosthesis to be compressed so as to be entirely capsuled in the delivery system with relatively easy and quick operations, thereby reducing surgery time during its clinical use.

A self-expanding braided stent includes at least a distal radial expansion ring added to a distal end of the stent body to increase a radial expansion force of the self-expanding braided stent in deployment of the stent, and to facilitate advancement of the stent through a delivery sheath by a core advancement wire. A proximal radial expansion ring is optionally added to a proximal end of the stent body to allow the stent to be recaptured following partial deployment by retraction of the core advancement wire, prior to full deployment of a proximal portion of the stent body.

A prosthetic device for sealing a native heart valves to prevent or reduce regurgitation comprises a spacer having one or more anchors. The spacer may also have atrial support structures, ventricular support structures, or both atrial and ventricular support structures In some cases, the spacer has anchors that attach to the leaflets as well as atrial and ventricular support. In some cases, the spacer straddles the annulus and is located by anchors, and in some cases the support structures can be implanted within the native heart valve. In some cases, the prosthetic device reduces the annulus diameter when implanted within the native heart vasculature. In some cases, the prosthetic device cinches the annulus when implanted within the native heart vasculature.

Delivery systems for expandable elements, such as stents or scaffolds having spikes, flails, or other protruding features for penetrating target tissue and/or delivering drugs within a human patient are described along with associated methods for using such systems. The delivery systems can be provided with a stent that is positioned over an inflatable balloon for expansion and delivery of the stent to a target delivery location. By positioning the stent over and about the inflatable balloon, the stent is ready to be expanded by the balloon immediately upon unsheathing with respect to the outer shaft. Additionally or alternatively, a stent can be positioned in an axially offset arrangement with respect to a balloon to reduce the need for space required by overlapping components.

The present embodiments provide systems and methods for treating a medical condition. In one embodiment, the system comprises a stent having proximal and distal regions, and further having a delivery state and an expanded state. A therapeutic agent is disposed on a segment of the stent. The stent is disposed around an exterior surface of a core assembly in the delivery state. A coupling assembly releasably secures the proximal region of the stent to the exterior surface of the core assembly. The coupling assembly secures the stent to the core assembly for a predetermined period while the stent is in the expanded state and during release of the therapeutic agent at a target site. The coupling assembly further enables the stent to be disengaged from the core assembly and deployed in a bodily passageway.

An implantable artificial bronchus including a body having a proximal upper opening and a distal lower opening. The distal lower opening being in fluid communication with the proximal upper opening, and the body at least partially tapering along a length toward the distal lower opening. The body having a plurality of side openings configured to allow air to enter into and exit the implantable artificial bronchus through the body. A length of the body is greater than 4 times the size of a largest diameter of the body, and the diameter of the proximal upper opening is larger than a diameter of the distal lower opening.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, a stent is described having a generally cylindrical body formed from a single woven nitinol wire. The distal and proximal ends of the stent include a plurality of loops, some of which include marker members used for visualizing the position of the stent. In another embodiment, the previously described stent includes an inner flow diverting layer.

Embodiments of a Urological implant include an implant with an elongated body having a longitudinal axis. Optionally longitudinal ribs symmetrically oppose each other and are connected to elongated body. The longitudinal ribs are optionally elastically shiftable between a collapsed state and an expanded state relative to the spinal longitudinal axis, in order to retract or/and support periurethral tissue. Optionally the system includes an implant extraction handle. The extraction handle is optionally positioned proximally to the elongated body and connected to the longitudinal rib and subject to a pulling force to facilitate and/or force approximation of the longitudinal supports to the longitudinal axis. In some embodiments, an implant body includes longitudinally spaced arched members, interconnected via arch ends sequentially along a length of a first and second longitudinal rib. Optionally the arched members are elastically bendable to facilitate elastic contractibility of the implant body under a transverse compressive force.

A multipurpose handle incorporated into a medical device delivery system. The multipurpose handle includes an elongate handle body, an actuation button, and a locking member. The elongate handle body has a proximal end extending to a distal end, which defines a longitudinal axis. The elongate body further includes a cutout that creates a movement space therein in which the actuation button is disposed and is connected to a medical device. The actuation button is movable within the cutout along the longitudinal axis and rotatable within the cutout. The locking member is connected to the elongate handle body and movable between a locked position and unlocked position. The locking member may be in contact with the actuation button and be configured to restrict the movement of the actuation button along the longitudinal axis when in the locked position.

A retrieval catheter operable by a single clinician that will neither displace a deployed stent nor cause undue trauma to the vascular lumen or lesion. The retrieval catheter may be sized to accommodate both a guidewire and a balloon wire. The retrieval catheter is easy to navigate through tortuous passageways and will cross a previously deployed stent or stent-graft easily with minimal risk of snagging on the deployed stent or stent graft. The sheath and dilator are adapted to allow a guidewire or balloon wire to pass through the walls of both and to allow the sheath and dilator to move axially with respect to each other.