A catheter member for interacting with a circumferential tissue structure includes: an elongate primary catheter having at least one inner lumen and extending along a longitudinal axis; first and second elongate secondary catheters, each having an inner lumen, and each positionable in an inner lumen of the primary catheter to be moveable relatively thereto and exposable therefrom; and a first flexing mechanism to provide a distal end portion of the first and/or second secondary catheter with a tendency to assume a first secondary bent shape. The distal end portion of the first and/or second secondary catheters is provided so as to be able to be flexed by the first flexing mechanism to form an arm portion substantially transverse to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the primary catheter so as to assume the first secondary bent shape when exposed from a distal end portion of the primary catheter.

Implant devices and structures that reduce inflammation and promote healing of the area of implant. Specifically, the use of shape memory open cell biocompatible polymer foams for implants that assist in and promote healing and especially in filling and sealing aneurisms.

The exoskeleton (10) for assisting surgical positioning is made of biocompatible material and formed to be substantially form-preserving. The exoskeleton (10) comprises a shell (11) having a coupling surface (15b) fitting to at least a part of a surface of an organ to be operated, and a guiding channel (13) is formed in the shell (11) at a predetermined position, said guiding channel having a predetermined orientation with respect to said shell and a predetermined cross-sectional area for directing a surgical tool to the organ to be operated.

Vascular access devices and methods of their use are provided. In one embodiment, a vascular access device includes a catheter (112) and at least one deployable wire (134). The catheter includes a primary lumen extending from a proximal end to a distal end of the catheter. The at least one deployable wire is secured to the catheter and configured to move relative to the catheter between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration.

An anchor for securing medical devices within a patient and/or sealing an opening in a body structure can be deployed via a catheter. The anchor may include a distal plate, and proximal plate, and a bridge portion connecting the plates. The anchor may include a tensioning member which can pull the plates together in order to secure the anchor in place and/or seal the opening in the body structure. A single anchor can be used, or multiple anchors, to secure tethers and other medical devices within a patient.

Implants comprising electrically-responsive hydrogel are described. Systems to provide electricity to induce response in hydrogel-containing implants are described. Methods for utilizing said system and methods for utilizing said hydrogel-containing implants are described.

Catheter-based devices and methods for endoluminally accessing and occluding hollow anatomical structures are disclosed. Occlusion clips are contained in one or more needles that pierce opposing walls of the anatomical structure to deploy the clips externally of the structure. The clips then are drawn together to press the opposing anatomical walls together.

Methods, devices and systems are described for treating venous insufficiency in which the vein is compressed at least partially along a treatment zone. A system can be provided including an injection device, such as a glue gun, that is operably connected to a delivery catheter that can be advanced across a treatment zone in the vein. The delivery catheter can be used to deliver one, two, or more boluses of media (e.g., cyanoacrylate) to occlude the vein along different spaced-apart sections of the treatment zone. External compression can also be applied to the vein by a compression element, such as a hand or multifunctional ultrasound transducer, to occlude portions of the vein along the treatment zone prior to or during the introduction of the boluses of media.

An embodiment includes a system comprising: an outer conduit; a shape memory polymer (SMP) foam; a metal backbone including: (a)(i) a first portion that extends from the SMP foam proximal end to the SMP foam distal end and which is generally covered by the SMP foam, and (a)(ii) a distal portion that extends distally from the SMP foam distal end and which is not covered by the SMP foam; wherein: (b)(i) SMP foam and the metal backbone are both included within the outer conduit adjacent to the outer conduit distal end; (b)(ii) the metal backbone distal portion transitions from a secondary shape that is uncoiled to a primary shape that is coiled; and (b)(iii) the metal backbone distal portion is in the metal backbone distal portion secondary shape and is located between the SMP foam distal end and the distal end of the outer conduit.

An access device for accessing an intervertebral disc having an outer shield comprising an access shield with a larger diameter (˜16-30 mm) that reaches from the skin down to the facet line, with an inner shield having a second smaller diameter (˜5-12 mm) extending past the access shield and reaches down to the disc level. This combines the benefits of the direct visual microsurgical/mini open approaches and the percutaneous, “ultra-MIS” techniques.