A balloon catheter includes a hollow shaft having a lumen through which an expansion liquid flows, and an expandable and contractible balloon arranged so as to cover at least a part of an outer periphery of the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft has an opening that communicates between the lumen and an inside of the balloon, and an outer peripheral surface of the hollow shaft has a groove extending across the opening and along the outer peripheral surface.

A method for removing excess fluid from a patient with hemodilution is provided. The method includes: deploying a urinary tract catheter into the patient such that flow of urine from the ureter and/or kidney is transported within a drainage lumen of the catheter; applying negative pressure to the ureter and/or kidney through the drainage lumen of the catheter to extract urine from the patient; periodically measuring a hematocrit value of the patient; and if the measured hematocrit value is greater than a predetermined threshold value, ceasing the application of the negative pressure to the ureter and/or kidney. A system for removing excess fluid from a patient with hemodilution including a ureteral catheter and a pump is also provided.

A pump for inducing negative pressure in the ureter and/or kidney is provided. The pump is configured to be in communication with at least one lumen of at least one ureteral catheter and to draw fluid from the ureter and/or kidney into the at least one lumen of the at least one ureteral catheter for removal of the fluid from the ureter and/or kidney. The pump is configured to induce negative pressure ranging from about 0.1 mmHg to about 50 mmHg gauge pressure proximate to the pump inlet, and the pump is configured to have an accuracy of about 10 mmHg or less proximate to the pump inlet.

Ureteral catheters and assemblies are provided including: a drainage lumen including a proximal portion configured to be positioned in at least a portion of a patient's urethra and a distal portion configured to be positioned in a patient's ureter and/or kidney, the distal portion including a coiled retention portion including at least a first coil having a first diameter and a second coil having a second diameter, the first diameter being less than the second diameter; or wherein the retention portion extends radially outwardly from a portion of the distal end of the drainage lumen portion, the retention portion including a proximal end having a first diameter, a distal end having a second diameter, and a wall and/or surface extending therebetween, the retention portion having a second diameter is greater than the first diameter when deployed; or wherein the retention portion includes a plurality of drainage tubes.

Catheters that includes inner and outer elongate shafts, each of which is secured relative to an end of an inflatable member. Balloon bonding locations may be disposed radially inward relative to an outer dimension of the outer elongate shaft.

An apparatus includes a shaft, an expandable dilation member, and a bulbous tip. The shaft has a first outer cross-sectional dimension. The dilation member is positioned proximal to the distal end of the shaft. The dilation member is operable to transition between a non-expanded configuration and an expanded configuration. The dilation member is sized to pass through a passageway associated with drainage of a paranasal sinus or a Eustachian tube when the dilation member is in the non-expanded configuration. The bulbous tip is positioned at the distal end of the shaft. The bulbous tip is distal to the dilation member. The bulbous tip has a second outer cross-sectional dimension. The second outer cross-sectional dimension is larger than the first outer cross-sectional dimension. The bulbous tip is removably secured to the distal end of the shaft.

An apparatus includes an elongate shaft, a dilation balloon, and a fitting member. The elongate shaft includes an inflation lumen, an irrigation lumen, and at least one irrigation opening. The at least one irrigation opening is in fluid communication with the irrigation lumen. The dilation balloon is at the distal portion of the shaft. The dilation balloon is in fluid communication with the inflation lumen. The fitting member is at the proximal end of the shaft. The fitting member includes an inflation fluid port, an irrigation fluid port, and a blocking structure. The inflation fluid port is in fluid communication with the inflation lumen. The irrigation fluid port is in fluid communication with the irrigation lumen. The blocking structure is adjacent to the irrigation fluid port and defines a gap around the irrigation fluid port.

An apparatus and methods tissue restoration are provided. The apparatus may include a catheter shaft extending from a proximal end to a distal tip, a plurality of serial balloons positioned on a translucent distal segment of the catheter shaft proximal to the distal tip and positioned inside of and concentric with a second distal balloon, the plurality of serial balloons in fluid communication with an inflation source via a first lumen, each of the plurality of serial balloons having a selectively expandable outermost radial surface. The plurality of serial balloons may include a translucent material, a series of isolated volumetric regions positioned between the plurality of serial balloons and recessed from the outermost radial surfaces of the serial balloons. The apparatus may include a distal balloon positioned around the plurality of serial balloons, and a light fiber positioned in the catheter shaft and extending through the translucent distal segment.

A method of embolizing a tumor includes advancing a distal end of a device having a catheter body and an occlusion structure to a target tumor site within a blood vessel of a body. The occlusion structure is activated within the blood vessel, and a real time pressure measurement in the vascular space distal to the activated occlusion structure is monitored. The method further includes waiting for a pressure drop in the vascular space distal to the activated occlusion structure and for the pressure drop to cause a blood flow reversal in branch vessels antegrade to the occlusion. An embolic substance is injected from the distal end of the delivery device to permit the reversed blood flow to carry the embolic substance into the vasculature of the target tumor and the device is withdrawn from the body. Other catheter assemblies and methods of use are also disclosed.

A ureteral catheter includes a drainage lumen including a proximal portion configured to be positioned in at least a portion of a patient's urethra and/or bladder and a distal portion configured to be positioned in a patient's kidney, renal pelvis, and/or in the ureter adjacent to the renal pelvis, the distal portion including a retention portion for maintaining positioning of the distal portion of the drainage lumen, the retention portion including two or more openings on a sidewall of the retention portion for permitting fluid flow into the drainage lumen, wherein a number of the openings nearer to a distal end of the retention portion is greater than a number of the opening(s) nearer to a proximal end of the retention portion.