A system includes an adjustable implant configured for implantation internally within a subject and includes a magnet configured for rotation about an axis of rotation, the magnet operatively coupled to a drive transmission configured to alter a dimension of the adjustable implant. The system includes an external adjustment device configured for placement on or adjacent to the skin of the subject having at least one magnet configured for rotation, the external adjustment device further comprising a motor configured to rotate the at least one magnet and an encoder. Rotation of the at least one magnet of the external adjustment device effectuates rotational movement of the magnet of the adjustable implant and alters the dimension of the adjustable implant Drive control circuitry is configured to receive an input signal from the encoder.

A filtering device for removing particles from a fluid of a patient is provided. The filtering device being implantable in the patient's body and comprising a cassette comprising a revolving member, said revolving member having at least two segments each holding a respective filter. The device further comprises a tube forming a fluid passageway through one of the filters in said cassette, wherein the cassette is adapted to, upon revolution of the revolving cylinder, change the filter positioned in the fluid passageway from a first one of said filters to a second one of said filters, thereby allowing particles present on the first filter to be moved away from the fluid passageway, while at the same time changing the filter positioned in the fluid passageway.

A blood clot removal method for removing blood clots from the vascular system of a patient, the blood clot removal method carried out on an implantable device in the patient's body and comprising: allowing a blood flow through a passageway between a first side wall and a second side wall, filtering blood clots with a filter provided in the blood flow passageway, and cleaning the filter with a cleaning device, wherein the cleaning device is moved from the first side wall towards the second side wall to move blood clots away from the blood flow passageway.

A surgical method for placing an implantable medical device for constricting at least one of a patient's rectum, anal channel, anal sphincter or colon. The surgical method comprises creating an incision in a vaginal wall of a patient, inserting a surgical instrument through said incision. The instrument comprising an elongated main part, an elongated member having a proximal end fixed to a distal end of the elongated main part by means of a first adjustable joint having a pivotal axis, for adjusting a first angle between the main part of the instrument and the elongated member between 0 and 180 degrees, wherein the elongated main part and the elongated member lie in a first plane extending perpendicularly to the pivotal ax-is. The surgical method further comprises a flexible tip attached to a distal end of the elongated member and exhibiting a conformation which is reversibly changeable from an essentially straight conformation to a loop or hook conformation, wherein the flexible tip, when in the loop or hook conformation, defines an opening with an axial hole going there through, and wherein a second plane extends perpendicularly to the axial hole through said loop or hook, so that the flexible tip, in its loop or hook conformation, lies in the second plane. The surgical method further comprises using said flexible tip for placing the implantable medical device encircling the patient's rectum, anal channel, anal sphincter or colon.

A medical implant system for implantation in a patient to treat erectile dysfunction includes a first fluid path, an inflatable penile prosthesis cylinder, an electric pump, and implant controller, and an implantable power supply. The inflatable penile prosthesis cylinder is in fluid communication with the first fluid path and is configured for implantation in a corpus cavernosum of a patient. The electric pump is in fluid communication with the first fluid path. The implant controller is electrically coupled to the pump and is configured to activate the pump to drive a flow of fluid through the first fluid path and into the cylinder. The implantable power supply provides electrical power to the pump.

Urinary incontinence devices generally include a body configured to be inserted into a vagina. The body may have a proximal insertion portion, a plurality of legs coupled to and extending distally from the insertion portion, and a distal retrieval portion. The plurality of legs may each have a length, a width, and a distal end, and the distal ends of the plurality of legs may be coupled together. The body may have a compressed configuration, an expanded configuration, and a lateral cross-sectional diameter, and the lateral cross-sectional diameter of the body may be largest at the widest point of each of the plurality of legs. Methods of treating urinary incontinence may include loading a urinary incontinence device into an applicator, inserting the applicator into the vagina, advancing the incontinence device out of the applicator to position a distal end of the device past the pelvic floor, and removing the incontinence device from the vagina using the distal retrieval portion.

A medical device has an artificial contractile structure including at least one contractile element adapted to contract a hollow body organ in such a way that said contractile element is adapted to be in a resting position or in an activated position, the activated position being defined with the contractile element constricting the hollow body organ and the resting position being defined with the contractile element not constricting the hollow body organ. The medical device further includes a tensioning device adapted to apply a force so as to tighten the contractile element around the hollow body organ. The medical device further includes a means for eliminating a dead zone of the contractile element when the contractile element is attached around hollow organ with a circumference of the contractile element less than a maximum possible circumference.

Disclosed is a process of making an expanded fluoropolymer, e.g., PTFE, article is disclosed. The article is formed from a PTFE resin, calendered, and then expanded (e.g., multiaxially) at an elevated temperature. After cooling, the article is used to form a surgically implanted device, e.g., a surgical prosthetic sling.

Disclosed are versions of a prosthetic sling manufactured using an expanded fluoropolymer, e.g., PTFE. In some versions, a tubular ePTFE extrusion is, after initially processing, subjected to moderate temperatures and pressures to flatten the tubular extrusion such that it has rounded edges. In other versions a multiaxially expanded ePTFE strip is used.

Disclosed is a process of making an expanded fluoropolymer, e.g., PTFE, article is disclosed. The article is formed from a PTFE resin, calendered, and then expanded (e.g., uniaxially, multiaxially, etc.) at an elevated temperature. After cooling, the article is used to form a surgically implanted device, e.g., a surgical prosthetic sling.