A suture construction and method for forming a suture construction is disclosed. The construction utilizes a suture having an enlarged central body portion defining a longitudinal passage. First and second ends of the suture are passed through first and second apertures associated with the longitudinal passage to form a pair of loops. Portions of the suture lay parallel to each other within the suture. Application of tension onto the suture construction causes constriction of the longitudinal passage, thus preventing relative motions of the captured portions of the suture.

Systems and methods are provided and adapted to engage and pull (e.g., pull up) or reposition urethral support tissue, such as the portion of the perineal membrane above or below the urethra. The perineal membrane intersects the urethra and vagina at the midurethra or distal location and can thus be stabilized or controlled in a manner that helps restore continence.

A delivery device for tissue anchor delivery is provided. The delivery device includes a first flexible tube having a rigid distal portion attachable to a tissue anchor, a second flexible tube coaxially disposed around the first tube and a tubular sheath covering the second flexible tube. Also provided is a system which includes an imaging device coupler reversibly attached to the delivery device through guides.

The device relates to methods and devices for the treatment of obstmctive sleep apnea syndrome.

Devices for closing a passage through tissue communicating with a body lumen. The device may include an elongate body, a sheath disposed at the distal end of the device for disposition within a body lumen, a hollow needle disposed within a needle lumen of the body, the needle being selectively advanceable through the needle lumen, a suture-anchor ejection mandrel disposed within the hollow needle that is also selectively advanceable through the hollow needle, a suture-anchor and suture disposed within the hollow needle, a distal end of the suture attached to the suture anchor for ejection out the hollow needle by the mandrel. A needle guide disposed between the sheath and proximal end of the body may include a needle port through which the needle can exit. A hemostatic plug is disposed over the needle port so as to be penetrated by the needle upon exiting the port.

Devices and methods are described herein directed to an adaptor for use with a medical device used to suture tissue within a patient's body and/or for delivering and/or securing another medical device within a patient's body. In one embodiment, an apparatus to aid in the placement of a suture at a location within a body of a patient using a medical device includes a body and a coupler configured to couple the body to the medical device. The apparatus further includes a suture mounting portion disposed on the body that defines a suture slit configured to laterally receive therethrough a portion of a suture coupled to the medical device and to apply a frictional force to the suture to resist movement of the suture longitudinally therethrough. A magnitude of the frictional force being less than a longitudinal force applied to the suture by actuation of the medical device.

Methods and devices for transvascular prosthetic chordae tendineae implantation are disclosed. A catheter is advanced into the left atrium. From an atrium side, a leaflet anchor having a leaflet suture is secured to the mitral valve leaflet. A ventricular anchor is anchored to the wall of the ventricle to secure the ventricular wall to a ventricle suture. The leaflet suture and the ventricle suture may be tensioned and connected by a suture lock to form an artificial chordae. The suture lock has a body with a suture path extending therethrough. A wall in the housing is movable to reduce the cross section of the suture path. A drive mechanism advances the movable wall to clamp sutures extending through the suture path, in response to rotation of a coupling on the housing.

This disclosure enables various threading devices (e.g., suturing devices) that can sequentially send a plurality of carriers (e.g., needle caps, sleeves) to an object (e.g., animate, inanimate, human tissue, organ tissue, heart tissue) or sequentially receive a plurality of carriers (e.g., needle caps, sleeves) from an object (e.g., animate, inanimate, human tissue, organ tissue, heart tissue). For example, some threading devices can sequentially send some carriers in a relatively rapid succession or some threading devices can sequentially receive some carriers in a relatively rapid succession.

An epicardial anchor system comprising a tether attachment member defining a portion of a tether passageway configured to receive a portion of a tether extending from a heart valve, a base having a rim defining a void along a circumference of the rim, and a tether capture device adjacent the tether attachment member and hingedly attached to the epicardial anchor, the tether capture device including an opening configured to receive the portion of the tether therethrough and a slot configured to capture the portion of the tether extending through the opening, and an actuation mechanism configured to flip the tether capture device from an unactuated condition to an actuated condition, wherein in the unactuated condition, the tether capture device is spaced from the void defined by the rim, and in the actuated condition, a first portion of the tether capture device is positioned within the void defined by the rim.

A transcatheter atrio-ventricular valve prosthesis for functional replacement of an atrio-ventricular valve in a connection channel, having a circumferential connection channel wall structure, between atrial and ventricular chambers of a heart, including an inner device to be disposed in the interior of the connection channel, the inner device having a circumferential support structure which is radially expandable and having a valve attached to the circumferential support structure, and an outer device to be disposed on the exterior of the connection channel, wherein the outer device at least partly extends around the inner device at a radial distance to the inner device, wherein the inner and outer devices form a securing mechanism for securing the circumferential connection channel wall structure therebetween.