A replacement valve for replacing a damaged heart valve having a plurality of cusps separating an upstream region from a downstream region of a passage. The replacement valve includes a flexible band having biocompatible scaffolding sized for contact with a wall surrounding the passage in the patient's heart. The valve includes a resilient element attached to the flexible band for expanding the flexible band to contact the wall of the passage. The valve includes regenerative struts spaced around the flexible band. Each strut extends from an outboard end joined to an inward face of the flexible band to a central end. The central ends of the struts are joined together. The valve includes a flexible regenerative membrane joined to adjacent struts. The membrane extends outboard to an inward face of the band. An outboard edge of the membrane is free to move between a closed position and an open position.

A replacement heart valve device is disclosed. In some embodiments, the device includes a frame coupled to one or more leaflets that are moveable between open and closed configurations. In some embodiments, the frame comprises at least two frame sections that join at a pair of commissural posts. In some embodiments, the device may be geometrically accommodating to adapt to different vasculature shapes and sizes and/or to be able to change size while implanted within a growing patient.

A replacement heart valve device is disclosed. In some embodiments, the device includes a frame coupled to one or more leaflets that are moveable between open and closed configurations. In some embodiments, the frame comprises at least two frame sections that join at a pair of commissural posts. In some embodiments, the device may be geometrically accommodating to adapt to different vasculature shapes and sizes and/or to be able to change size while implanted within a growing patient.

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 dilation 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.

Embodiments relate to stents for supporting an airway or other duct or plenum. The stents can be rapidly customized and inserted into the airway, obviating the need for subsequent intubation or for invasive procedures.

A horseshoe-shaped guide catheter for stent angioplasty of the ductus arteriosus in newborn and infants with ductal-dependent cardiopathies, characterized by a long, straight, hollow first section merged at the distal end thereof to a second section formed by a curved portion shaped as a circle section with radius (Ra) of 7.5 mm to 9 mm, arc (b) of 180 to 280 and distance (d) between the tip of the second section and the straight part of the first section without deformations of 7 mm and 15 mm. The angioplasty makes it possible to insert one or more stents that keep the ductus open in extrauterine life, improving survival of the newborn and young infants, allowing weight gain and undergo corrective surgery a few months later with safer and with better outcomes.

Described herein are radially self-expanding stents. The disclosed stents can be used to widen arteries and/or veins of a patient to counteract or combat narrowing of the arteries and/or veins associated with certain congenital diseases, such as aortic coarctation. As an example, the disclosed stents are configured to be placed at or near a narrowed portion of the aorta where the stent produces a radial outward force on the aorta. The radial force produced by the stent widens the aorta and causes the stent to expand with the aorta. The disclosed stents can be crimped to relatively small sizes for placement in small patients (e.g., less than about 10 kg in size) and can be configured to expand to widen the aorta and to accommodate growth in the patient.

A self-expandable double-sided surgical implant including a peripheral pocket receiving an expansion ring. The surgical implant may be used for the correction of congenital diaphragmatic hernias.

A growth stent and valve and methods for making and using the same. The growth stent and valve may be delivered to treat early stage congenital lesions, while expanding to adult vessel diameters. In selected embodiments, the growth stent and valve can comprise a frame and may have a covering on some portion to prevent blood flow through a wall of the frame. The growth stent and valve advantageously can maintain radial strength across an entire range of diameters necessary to treat a narrowed lesion from birth and childhood through adulthood as the vessels grow over the lifetime of a patient.

A method is provided for addressing myopia progression or inclination to myopia in which the influence of accommodative lag stress on myopia is reduced or eliminated to counter eye axial length growth. User depth of focus is increased to relieve stress from overall accommodative effort and stress from accommodation and accommodative lag to retard myopia progression and enable continuous and long tem treatment by the user.