A launching catheter for targeting a second vessel from a first vessel includes a catheter including a proximal portion and a distal portion including a needle aperture and a flat rectangular radiopaque marker. The flat rectangular radiopaque marker disappears under fluoroscopy upon rotation to provide information about rotational alignment of the launching catheter. The launching catheter includes a needle configured to extend through the needle aperture. A method of aligning the catheter includes rotating the catheter in a first blood vessel until the marker has a thickness (e.g., minimal thickness) under fluoroscopy. The thickness indicates rotational alignment of the catheter.

A design bringing together mechanical thrombectomy and stenting for more efficient treatment of occlusions and stenotic lesions in the cerebral vasculature features a dual-layer setup. The outer layer consists of an expandable stent cage with large cell openings which can allow thrombus to pass through the openings into the inner expandable capture section layer. The clot capture section can be configured to grip and extract the occlusion. The outer cage is configured to be detached from the remainder of the device and left implanted as a stent to exert an outward radial force to support and/or dilate the region of stenosis. The device can have a distal fragment protection element to prevent the distal migration of elements liberated during the procedure.

An self-actuating grasping device and corresponding method of using the grasping device for retrieving a foreign object from a location in a patient's body. The grasping device has a handle with a self-actuating mechanism, an actuator on the handle coupled to an actuator wire, an elongated shaft member extending distally from the handle with the actuation wire coaxially disposed therein and opposing jaws at a distal end of the elongated shaft member that are coupled to the actuation wire and pivot between open and closed configurations. The self-actuating mechanism has a bias that imparts a closing force to the opposing jaws through the actuation wire. Actuation of the actuator is configured to impart an opening force to the opposing jaws through the actuation wire.

A thrombectomy system and method of extraction of thrombus are disclosed. The thrombectomy system comprises a delivery catheter; an aspiration catheter, comprising an aspiration funnel, configured to be movably disposed within the delivery catheter in a retracted position and at least partially outside the delivery catheter in an extended and expanded position, the funnel comprising a non-permeable covering, the funnel being configured to adapt its shape and length to a surrounding blood vessel such that the funnel reduces blood flow through the blood vessel and lengthens as it narrows to retain a thrombus within the funnel; a clot-capture element configured to capture the thrombus and to be at least partially withdrawn with the captured thrombus into the funnel; and a microcatheter adapted to carry the clot-capture element to the thrombus. The clot-capture element is movably disposed within the microcatheter in a retracted position. The microcatheter is movably disposed within the aspiration catheter.

Catheter-delivered endovascular medical devices are described. The devices may include a pull wire attached to a distal body. The distal body may be formed of a distal body outer body comprising a basket comprised of a plurality of cells defined by a plurality of basket strips and a distal body inner body located in the interior of the distal body outer body and comprising a plurality of distal braided mesh openings formed by a plurality of woven linear strands. The distal braided mesh openings may be smaller than the cells when the device is in the relaxed state. Methods of using and making the devices are also described.

The devices and methods described herein relate to improved structures for removing obstructions from body lumens. Such devices have applicability in through-out the body, including clearing of blockages within the vasculature, by addressing the frictional resistance on the obstruction prior to attempting to translate and/or mobilize the obstruction within the body lumen.

A device and method for intravascular treatment of an embolism, and particularly a pulmonary embolism, is disclosed herein. One aspect of the present technology, for example, is directed toward a clot treatment device that includes a support member having a plurality of first clot engagement members and second clot engagement members positioned about the circumference of a distal portion of the support member. In an undeployed state, individual first clot engagement members can be linear and have a first length, and individual second clot engagement members can be linear and have a second length that is less than the first length. The clot engagement members can be configured to penetrate clot material along an arcuate path and hold clot material to the clot treatment device.

Devices and methods for the treatment of chronic total occlusions are provided. One disclosed embodiment comprises a method of facilitating treatment via a vascular wall defining a vascular lumen containing an occlusion therein. The method includes providing a first intravascular device having a distal portion with a concave side, inserting the first device into the vascular lumen, positioning the distal portion in the vascular wall, and orienting the concave side of the distal portion toward the vascular lumen.

A clot retrieval device for removing an occlusive clot from a blood vessel. The device includes a clot engagement section having a constrained delivery configuration and an expanded deployed configuration, wherein in the expanded deployed configuration. The clot engagement section can include a plurality of peak sections configured to vary contact pressure between the clot and the device along a length of the device; and a plurality of troughs between respective peak sections comprising a clot reception space. Each peak is configured to exert a relatively high compressive force on the clot whereas each trough is configured to exert little or no compressive force on the clot.

Systems and methods for the intravascular treatment of clot material within a blood vessel of a human patient are disclosed herein. A method in accordance with embodiments of the present technology can include, for example, positioning a distal portion of a catheter proximate to the clot material within the blood vessel. The method can further include coupling a pressure source to the catheter via a tubing subsystem including a valve or other fluid control device and, while the valve is closed, activating the pressure source to charge a vacuum. The valve can then be opened to apply the vacuum to the catheter to thereby aspirate at least a portion of the clot material from the blood vessel and into the catheter.