This disclosure relates to a catheter with a fluid flow restrictor (e.g., a balloon) that includes a flow path. The catheter is useful for creating, and maintaining, an area of reduced pressure within a blood vessel for removing excess fluid from a patient's body. In particular, the catheter is dimensioned for insertion into a blood vessel and includes a fluid flow restrictor that, when deployed, partially occludes the blood vessel. Pressure is reduced within the blood vessel downstream of the occlusion. The flow path allows some blood to flow past the restrictor, which prevents the blood vessel from stretching due to excessive pressure buildup, thereby allowing the area of reduced pressure to be maintained for extended periods of time.

System and methods are provided for harvesting one or more organs, e.g., a lung from a donor body. In one embodiment, a distal end of a tubular member is introduced into the donor body's vasculature via a percutaneous access site, and the tubular member is manipulated until the distal end of the tubular member is disposed within the thoracic duct. Fluid is removed from the thoracic duct through the tubular member to a location exterior to the patient's body, and one or more organs are removed from the donor body. Optionally, one or more parameters within the thoracic duct or other parameters of the donor body may be monitored and fluid removal may be adjusted to reduce fluid accumulation within the one or more organs.

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for the treatment of edema. In one aspect a method for implanting an indwelling catheter within a vein of a patient is provided. The catheter can extend from a position upstream of at least one outflow port of a duct of the lymph system to a terminal position downstream of the at least one outflow port. In use, a first restriction can be created within the vein proximal to a distal region of the catheter. The first restriction can define a localized low pressure zone distal of the restriction and within a portion of the vein housing the catheter. The low pressure zone can be adjacent to the at least one outflow port to enable fluid to pass from the at least one lymph duct outflow port into the vein.

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for the treatment of edema. In one aspect a method for implanting an indwelling catheter within a vein of a patient is provided. The catheter can extend from a position upstream of at least one outflow port of a duct of the lymph system to a terminal position downstream of the at least one outflow port. In use, a first restriction can be created within the vein proximal to a distal region of the catheter. The first restriction can define a localized low pressure zone distal of the restriction and within a portion of the vein housing the catheter. The low pressure zone can be adjacent to the at least one outflow port to enable fluid to pass from the at least one lymph duct outflow port into the vein.

The invention provides intravascular devices for treating certain medical conditions such as edema without causing thrombosis. The intravascular devices of the disclosure include non-thrombogenic surfaces that improve blood compatibility by reducing device-related thrombus formation and inflammatory reactions. The non-thrombogenic surfaces may include surface topographies (e.g., surface roughness) and modified chemistries (e.g., coatings and/or treatments), which prevent thrombosis by reducing local shear forces and inhibiting adhesion of blood clotting factors.

Systems and methods are provided for performing a medical procedure within a patient's body that involves a thoracic duct including an ostium communicating with the patient's venous system. A distal end of a catheter is introduced through the patient's venous system into a body lumen adjacent the ostium of the thoracic duct. An expandable member on the distal end of the tubular member may be expanded adjacent the ostium, e.g., within the body lumen or the thoracic duct itself, and used to isolate the thoracic duct from the body lumen, whereupon a medical procedure may be performed via the thoracic duct. For example, lymphatic fluid may be removed from the thoracic duct through a lumen of the tubular member and/or one or more agents may be introduced into the thoracic duct through the tubular member.

A medical device is disclosed, which is capable of treating lymphedema and reducing a reoccurrence rate after treatment. The medical device includes a tube member that includes a first end portion connected to a first body lumen L and a second end portion connected to a second body lumen P and a pressure-feeding unit that pressure-feeds a body fluid in the first body lumen to the second body lumen.

A method for detecting cancer involved lymph nodes. The method includes placing a pH-sensing paper inside a needle of an injection syringe, filling the injection syringe with a buffer solution, putting the pH-sensing paper in contact with lymphatic fluid of a lymph node by inserting the needle of the injection syringe inside the lymph node, putting the lymphatic fluid in interaction with the buffer solution by injecting the buffer solution into the lymph node utilizing the injection syringe, and detecting that the lymph node as a cancer involved lymph node if color of the pH-sensing paper is changed to an acidic-range pH color.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ligand-immobilized sea-island composite fiber in which generation of fine particles due to peeling of a sea component from an island component and generation of fine particles due to destruction of a fragile sea component are both suppressed. The present invention provides a sea-island composite fiber comprising a sea component and island components, in which a value (L/S) obtained by dividing the average total length (L) of the perimeter of all island components in a cross section perpendicular to the fiber axis by the average cross-sectional area (S) of the cross section is from 1.0 to 50.0 μm.sup.−1, a distance from the surface to the outermost island component is 1.9 μm or less, and an amino group-containing compound is covalently bonded to a polymer constituting the sea component at a charge density of 0.1 μmol or more and less than 500 μmol per 1 gram dry weight.

Various systems and methods are provided for reducing pressure at an outflow of a duct such as the thoracic duct or the lymphatic duct. A catheter system can include a catheter shaft configured to be at least partially implantable within a patient's vein, a flexible membrane attached to the catheter shaft, the flexible membrane being a collapsible, tube-like member having a lumen extending therethrough, and a single selectively deployable restriction member formed over a portion of the flexible membrane at substantially a midpoint between a proximal end of the flexible membrane and a distal end of the flexible membrane, the restriction member being configured to control a size of the lumen so as to direct a controlled volume of fluid from an upstream side of the restriction member to a downstream side the restriction member.