Soft tissue supports, soft tissue implants, and methods of making and using soft tissue supports are disclosed. One soft tissue support includes a unitary piece of processed porous tissue material having an anterior portion and a posterior portion. The anterior and posterior portions define a cavity therebetween. The cavity is sized to receive a breast implant therein. The cavity has at least one opening sized to receive the breast implant therethrough. One soft tissue implant includes the soft tissue support and a breast implant positioned within the cavity of the soft tissue support. The implant may further include a soft tissue graft configured to support the processed porous tissue material and the breast implant. A method of using a soft tissue support includes inserting a breast implant into the soft tissue support, and implanting the soft tissue support containing the breast implant in the cavity.

A method includes advancing apparatus including a core toward a patient's heart valve. The core tapers in a distal direction toward the smallest perimeter of the core. The apparatus includes a first ventricular arm, which is articulatable with respect to a first atrial arm at a first articulation site, and a second ventricular arm, which is articulatable with respect to a second atrial arm at a second articulation site. The articulation sites are adjacent to the smallest perimeter. The tapering of the core defines a minimum nonzero angle of the atrial arms with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the core. The method also includes clamping the first and second leaflets between the respective atrial arms and the respective ventricular arms. Other embodiments are also described.

Implantable devices for orthopedic, including spine and other uses are formed of porous reinforced polymer scaffolds. Scaffolds include a thermoplastic polymer forming a porous matrix that has continuously interconnected pores. The porosity and the size of the pores within the scaffold are selectively formed during synthesis of the composite material, and the composite material includes a plurality of reinforcement particles integrally formed within and embedded in the matrix and exposed on the pore surfaces. The reinforcement particles provide one or more of reinforcement, bioactivity, or bioresorption.

The present invention disclosed a method of producing a three-dimensional porous tissue in-growth structure. The method includes the steps of depositing a first layer of metal powder and scanning the first layer of metal powder with a laser beam to form a portion of a plurality of predetermined unit cells. Depositing at least one additional layer of metal powder onto a previous layer and repeating the step of scanning a laser beam for at least one of the additional layers in order to continuing forming the predetermined unit cells. The method further includes continuing the depositing and scanning steps to form a medical implant.

An implant is configured to be coupled to first and second native leaflets of a native heart valve of a patient. The implant includes a proximal collar, a distal collar, and first and second clasps. Each of the first and second clasps has first and second tissue-engaging portions that are (1) disposed distal to the proximal collar and proximal to the distal collar, and (2) movable, with respect to each other, to clamp one of the leaflets between the first and second tissue-engaging portions of the clasp. The implant is configured such that, when the leaflets are clamped by the first and second clasps, the first and second clasps form the first and second native leaflets into a double orifice, each orifice configured to function as a respective check-valve. Other embodiments are also described.

Described are surgical implants that include releasable reinforcement, and related methods, particular example implants and methods being useful for treating pelvic tissue, cardiac tissue, and hernia, wherein the releasable reinforcement can be released (removed or disabled) during a surgical procedure to affect a mechanical property of the implant or a portion of the implant.

An intravascular device for treating a cerebral aneurysm which has an externally controllable expandable member, the expandable member has a plurality of wires that define walls of the expandable member; where in a relaxed state of the expandable member the walls have at least a first wall portion in which openings defined between the wires are small enough to prevent coils positioned within the aneurysm from exiting the aneurysm, the first wall portion has an axial length at least as long as a neck of the aneurysm; and at least a second wall portion in which openings defined between the wires are large enough to allow blood flow through; the second wall portion axially aligned relative to the first wall portion.

Materials for soft tissue repair, and in particular, material for hernia repair. These materials may be configured as an implant, such as a graft, that may be implanted into a patient in need thereof, such as a patient having a hernia or undergoing a hernia repair surgical procedure. These grafts may include a first layer comprising a substrate (e.g., mesh) and a second layer comprising a sheet of anti-adhesive material. The layers may be attached with a plurality of relatively small attachment sites that are separated by regions in which the two layers are not attached, to provide a highly compliant graft.

Implementations of a breast implant may include a shell including a posterior cephalic portion, a posterior caudal portion, an anterior cephalic portion, and an anterior caudal portion. Implementations of the breast implant may also include an anchor coupled within the shell and coupled directly and fixedly to the posterior caudal portion and the anterior caudal portion. The anchor may prevent rotation of the breast implant. The outer surface of the shell may be non-textured.

In one exemplary embodiment, an intraluminal device may include elongated structure formed of a plurality of wires. The intraluminal device may also include a plurality of sets of looped wires longitudinally located at an intermediate area of the elongated structure and the plurality of sets may be spaced circumferentially about the structure and being configured to cooperate with each other to form a plurality of clot entry openings. At least one grouping of woven wires may be longitudinally located adjacent the intermediate area and the at one grouping of woven wires may be configured such that when an opening force is exerted on the elongated structure, the at least one grouping provides structural support to hold open first interstices between the plurality of sets of looped wires.