An intraluminal stent includes pluralities of first and second wire segments made from a soft malleable alloy formed into a cylindrical structure. Each of the wire segments is defined by a series of sinusoidal bends formed over the length of each segment, with the initial unformed length of each second wire segment being larger than that of each first wire segment. Each of the first and second wire segments include the same number of sinusoidal bends with the amplitude of the of the sinusoidal bends of the second wire segments being larger than that of the sinusoidal bends of the first wire segments. Adjacent wire segments are conjoined by welds at apices of each sinusoidal bend to form the cylindrical or tubular structure. The first wire segments can form a center portion of the stent and the second wire segments can be provided at either or both ends of the stent, enabling minimized axial shrinkage when the stent is radially expanded from an initial to an expanded diameter and in which the second wire segment at the terminal end of the stent is caused to outwardly flare significantly relative to the remainder of a radially expanded stent.

Described here are delivery devices for delivering one or more implants to the body, and methods of using. The delivery devices may deliver implants to a variety of locations within the body, for a number of different uses. In some variations, the delivery devices have a cannula with one or more curved sections. In some variations, a pusher may be used to release one or more implants from the cannula. In some variations, one or more of the released implants may be a self-expanding device. Methods of delivering implants to one or more sinus cavities are also described here.

Systems and methods for the manufacture of an hourglass shaped stent-graft assembly comprising an hourglass shaped stent, graft layers, and an assembly mandrel having an hourglass shaped mandrel portion. Hourglass shaped stent may have superelastic and self-expanding properties. Hourglass shaped stent may be encapsulated using hourglass shaped mandrel assembly coupled to a dilatation mandrel used for depositing graft layers upon hourglass shaped mandrel assembly. Hourglass shaped mandrel assembly may have removably coupled conical portions. The stent-graft assembly may be compressed and heated to form a monolithic layer of biocompatible material. Encapsulated hourglass shaped stents may be used to treat subjects suffering from heart failure by implanting the encapsulated stent securely in the atrial septum to allow blood flow from the left atrium to the right atrium when blood pressure in the left atrium exceeds that on the right atrium. The encapsulated stents may also be used to treat pulmonary hypertension.

Disclosed herein is an anchor for use with a medical device. The anchor includes a coil, a barb, and a turn connecting the coil to the barb. The anchor may be made of a shape memory material. The coil may have a first handedness, and the turn may have a second handedness opposite the first handedness. The anchor may be attached to the medical device by a friction fit, in some cases without being attached by welding, soldering, adhesive, or crimping.

Some embodiments are directed to methods for serially expanding an artificial heart valve within a pediatric patient. For example, the artificial heart valve can be implanted into the pediatric patient during a first procedure, and then expanded during a second procedure to accommodate for the pediatric patient's growth. Some embodiments include introducing an expander into the implanted valve when the frame is expanded to a first working diameter, and then actuating the expander to expand the frame to a second working diameter greater than the first working diameter, to accommodate for the pediatric patient's growth.

A transcatheter stent-valve having replacement leaflets that are attached along their free edges. The stent-valve frame has supports that extend distally of the replacement leaflets to two fastening sites. The replacement leaflets are attached along a leaflet base forming a linear attachment to the stent-valve frame. The free edges of the leaflets have cords attached; the cords attach the free edges of the leaflets to the fastening sites located on the supports. The stent-valve can be a single component stent-valve or it can be a second component of a dual component stent-valve.

A percutaneous heart valve prosthesis including a collapsible valve body frame has a first end and a second end. The valve body frame is formed by a plurality of sub-frame members, each sub-frame member having a general form of a diamond with acute-angled vertices and oblique-angled vertices, wherein adjacent sub-frame members are joined at the oblique-angled vertices. A flexible skirt made from pericardial material extends around a periphery of the valve body frame. A one-way valve including a plurality of flexible valve leaflets is positioned within the valve body frame. The first end of the valve body frame is sized to pass through a valve orifice associated with a heart valve to be replaced and the second end of the valve body frame is sized so as not to pass through a valve orifice.

The present invention provides apparatus for endovascularly replacing a patient's heart valve. The apparatus includes a replacement valve and an expandable anchor configured for endovascular delivery to a vicinity of the patient's heart valve. In some embodiments, the replacement valve is adapted to wrap about the anchor, for example, by everting during endovascular deployment. In some embodiments, the replacement valve is not connected to expandable portions of the anchor. In some embodiments, the anchor is configured for active foreshortening during endovascular deployment. In some embodiments, the anchor includes expandable lip and skirt regions for engaging the patient's heart valve during deployment. In some embodiments, the anchor comprises a braid fabricated from a single strand of wire. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a lock configured to maintain anchor expansion.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed generally to systems and methods for delivering an implant to a body vessel of a patient. Such disclosed implants may be a monofilament implant, and disclosed systems for implanting the implant may be automatic. Some embodiments may enable retraction of said implant back into the delivery system following partial exteriorization of the implant from the delivery system. Some embodiments may be configured for retraction of said implant from the patient's body following complete exteriorization of the implant from the delivery system. Some of the embodiments are directed at delivering a monofilament implant for preventing embolic stroke. Other embodiments are directed at preventing pulmonary embolism, occluding a body vessel such as the left atrial appendage, occluding a body passageway such as a patent foramen ovalae, stenting a body vessel, or releasing a local therapeutic agent such as a drug or ionizing radiation.

A stabilized fabric composed of a mesh or a woven fabric is disclosed as are methods of their manufacture, the manufacture of medical devices made using a stabilized fibers and stabilized medical devices are all disclosed. Fabrics can be stabilized by several techniques including: using mechanical, chemical and/or energetic fasteners at warp and weft intersections in the weave; by using various weaving techniques and fibers. Meshes can be stabilized when properly dimensioned and arranged junctions and struts of the necessary properties are used. All of these stabilized fabrics can be made of synthetic polymer materials such as ultrahigh molecular weight PE or PP and expanded PTFE.