The invention refers to endovascular catheters and methods useful to endovascular surgery. In particular, it refers to support catheters with balloons that are used for the placement or the forwarding of the guidewire through demanding tortuosity and important vascular stenoses in cases where the guidewire needs the best possible backup support of the catheter. This is achieved with the development of an endovascular support catheter (1) with a mobile balloon (22), which has the ability to move along the body of the catheter (2), at its distal part. The movement of the balloon (22) is achieved with the use of two mobile external rings (13) and (18), one inner wire circuit (23), (24), and one control handle (13) (17) which is found at the proximal end of the device (1). The mobile balloon allows the catheter to move inside the vessel even when it is inflated and basically anchored within the vessel.

Rotational atherectomy devices and systems can remove or reduce stenotic lesions in blood vessels by rotating one or more abrasive elements within the vessel. The abrasive elements are attached to a distal portion of an elongate flexible drive shaft that extends from a handle assembly that includes a driver for rotating the drive shaft. In particular implementations, the handle assembly encapsulates an electric motor assembly, a pump assembly, and a controller assembly.

A device for fracturing calcifications in heart valves includes a stabilizer and an impactor movable towards each other. The impactor includes one or more impactor arms, each of which extends distally from a proximal cap. The impactor further includes one or more lever arms each of which is distally coupled to a lever cap and proximally coupled to a corresponding one of the one or more impactor arms. The lever cap slides on a shaft which extends towards the proximal cap. Proximal movement of the lever cap towards the proximal cap causes the one or more lever arms to deform and to push against the one or more impactor arms and to cause the one or more impactor arms to deform.

A device for fracturing calcifications in heart valves includes a stabilizer and an impactor movable towards each other. The impactor includes one or more impactor arms, each of which extends distally from a proximal cap. The impactor further includes one or more lever arms each of which is distally coupled to a lever cap and proximally coupled to a corresponding one of the one or more impactor arms. The lever cap slides on a shaft which extends towards the proximal cap. Proximal movement of the lever cap towards the proximal cap causes the one or more lever arms to deform and to push against the one or more impactor arms and to cause the one or more impactor arms to deform.

A low profile surgical system includes a movable cart assembly, an endoscope, and a surgical instrument. The movable cart assembly includes a fluid source and a receptacle assembly that are in fluid communication with one another. The endoscope is operably coupled to the cart assembly and in fluid communication with the fluid source. The surgical instrument is operably coupled to the cart assembly. The surgical instrument and the endoscope are configured to dispense outflow fluid into the receptacle assembly.

An atherectomy system is adapted for both anterograde ablation and retrograde ablation, and includes a drive coil and an atherectomy tool coupled to the drive coil, the atherectomy tool including a distal region adapted for anterograde ablation and a proximal region adapted for retrograde ablation. A proximal handle includes an actuation member adapted to be movable in a first direction to urge the atherectomy tool in an anterograde ablation direction and to be movable in a second direction to urge the atherectomy tool in a retrograde ablation direction. The atherectomy system is adapted such that the actuation member provides a similar feedback to a user regardless of whether the atherectomy tool is ablating in the anterograde ablation direction or in the retrograde ablation direction.

An apparatus includes a balloon adapted to be placed adjacent a calcified region of a body. The balloon is inflatable with a liquid. The apparatus further includes a shock wave generator within the balloon that produces shock waves that propagate through the liquid for impinging upon the calcified region adjacent the balloon. The shock wave generator includes a plurality of shock wave sources distributed within the balloon.

The devices and method described herein allow for therapeutic damage to increase volume in these hyperdynamic hearts to allow improved physiology and ventricular filling and to reduce diastolic filling pressure by making the ventricle less stiff.

Medical systems and methods for making and using medical systems are disclosed. Example medical systems may include an atherectomy system configured to engage and remove plaque from walls in vessels of a vascular system. The atherectomy system may include a drive shaft, a rotational member coupled to an end of the drive shaft, a motor coupled to the drive shaft to rotate the rotational tip, and a control unit configured to control a motor state of the motor. The motor may be an electric motor. The control unit may adjust the motor state to decelerate the motor in response to detecting a jam or a stall condition. The jam or stall condition may be detected when a speed of the motor or other motor state reaches or goes beyond a threshold value as prescribed by a reference schedule.

Devices, systems, and methods for sealing medical devices, particularly during intravascular access, are disclosed herein. Some aspects relate to a hemostatic valve for sealing a wide range of medical devices, such as catheters, wires, embolectomy systems. The valve can include an elongate member having a first end, a second end, and a central lumen extending therebetween. A reinforcement structure extends along at least a portion of the elongate member and is coupled to the elongate member. A shell defining a first aperture and a second aperture may be included, which first and second apertures can be fluidly coupled by the elongate member. A tensioning mechanism is coupled to the shell and to the elongate member, the tensioning mechanism can be moveable between a first configuration wherein the tensioning mechanism is collapsed and the central lumen is sealed and a second configuration wherein the central lumen is open.