A stiffening assembly comprises a bulkhead including an inner surface defining a central lumen. The bulkhead further includes an outer surface surrounding the inner surface and includes a wall connecting the outer surface to the inner surface. The wall is shaped to form a plurality of holes spaced apart and surrounding the central lumen. The stiffening assembly further comprises a plurality of longitudinal beams. Each beam extends through a corresponding hole of the plurality of holes. The stiffening assembly further comprises a clamping assembly configured to contact the plurality of beams. The stiffening assembly is adjustable between a flexible state in which each beam is movable within the corresponding hole and a stiffened state in which the clamping assembly clamps the plurality of beams against the bulkhead such that a transfer of forces in a radial direction between the plurality of beams and the bulkhead stiffens the stiffening assembly.

Method of using a shape-formable apparatus. A shape-formable apparatus can include an envelope defining a chamber, a port positioned to fluidly couple the chamber with ambience, and at least two locking sheets positioned in the chamber in an at least partially overlapping configuration. Each locking sheet can include a major surface, and at least a portion of each locking sheet can be patterned to include solid regions and open regions, the solid regions being movable with respect to one another within the major surface. The method can include providing the shape-formable apparatus in a first state; forming the apparatus into a desired shape; and reducing the pressure in the chamber to change the apparatus from the first state to a second state in which the apparatus is substantially less formable than in the first state.

A medical apparatus for joining body lumens in a living body includes a puncture member having a lumen, a distal opening portion and a needle tip at the distal end of the lumen. The needle tip can puncture a tube wall of the body lumen to form a puncture site. The medical apparatus includes a tubular member in the lumen of the puncture member that expands radially outward and contracts radially inward and a plunger movable relative to the puncture member to release the tubular member from the distal opening portion of the puncture member. The tubular member expands to be fixed to the puncture site when the tubular member is released from the distal opening portion of the puncture member.

Methods, systems, and devices are described for fabricating, providing, and using an orogastric tube. The orogastric tube may have, among other things: a proximal end section; a distal end section opposite the proximal end section and having a flexible, resilient curved portion; at least one sump channel extending from the proximal end section along a pre-determined length of the orogastric tube into the distal end section; at least one suction channel extending from the proximal end section along a pre-determined length of the orogastric tube into the distal end section; and optionally at least one balloon channel extending from the proximal end section along a pre-determined length of the orogastric tube to the distal end section. The optional balloon channel is in communication with an expandable balloon in the distal end section; and a main channel encloses a pre-determined length of the sump channel, the suction channel, and, if present, the balloon channel.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for endoscopically shaping and standardizing the size of a sleeved stomach for use in gastric reduction surgery. The device and method standardize and streamline gastric reduction surgery, specifically vertical sleeve gastrectomy, providing a guide for creating the stomach reduction and also shaping a stomach which will maintain an appropriate structure post-surgery.

A variably-flexible device that comprises a hollow body, a steering element that steers a steerable portion of the hollow body, the steering element being comprised of steering tendons disposed within the hollow body, a torque-transmitting element that extends into the steerable portion of the hollow body, and stiffening element disposed within the hollow body to selectively maintain the hollow body in a relatively stiff condition.

A system for determining the position and orientation of a medical device relative to an image space during image-guided medical procedures. The system comprises a flexible pad mounted on the subject such that a part covers the region of interest. The pad incorporates detectable registration members. Prior to the procedure, the device is coupled to the pad, which is then rigidized, so that there is no movement of the registration members relative to each other and relative to the device. The fixed relation-ship between the device and the registration members is determined from initial images, for example using detectable markers attached to the device, enabling the pose of the device relative to the image space of images of the region of interest to be determined later, even if the device is remote from the region of interest. This minimizes exposure of the subject and medical staff to radiation.

An epicardial implant having a positioning device that defines an open interior. The positioning device is configured to be detachably coupled with an implant delivery device such that the positioning device may be detached from the implant delivery device after the implant is in place about an atrial appendage. The positioning device has first and second sides with a distal end that couples the first and second sides. The implant includes an expandable cuff coupled with the positioning device. The positioning device is configured to selectively move the expandable cuff toward and away from an atrial appendage to position the expandable cuff in a desired position relative to the atrial appendage. The expandable cuff is expandable into at least a portion of the open interior of the positioning device to physically occlude a base of the atrial appendage following placement of the expandable cuff into the desired position.

A rectal band ligation device and a method of operating the band ligation device. In one embodiment, the band ligation device includes: (1) a handle having a trigger associated therewith, (2) an extension tube extending from the handle and terminating in a head, (3) at least two openings in the head, (4) hollow pistons located in the openings and configured to move relative thereto between an extended position in which ends of the pistons are exposed through the openings and a retracted position, gaps between corresponding openings and hollow pistons being less than cross-sectional widths of elastic members stretched around the ends and (5) an actuating rod coupling the trigger and the pistons and configured to cause the pistons to move from the extended position to the retracted position.

A retraction device, e.g., a programmable stiffness state tissue displacement device, for providing increased visibility during an operation is provided. The device includes one or more strips of compliant jammable layer components connected in parallel, and encapsulated within a flexible envelope such that each of the one or more strips of compliant jammable layer components are pneumatically connected. The device further includes a negative pressure pump coupled to the flexible envelope, such that the application of negative pressure to the flexible envelope by the negative pressure pump causes the one or more strips of compliant jammable layer components to jam and thereby transition the retraction device from a malleable state to a rigid state.