Provided is an in-vivo indwelling tube having a high flap strength and passing smoothly through a conduit of an endoscope. A tubular member having a proximal side and a distal side; a proximal flap, including a base end on a proximal side and a free end on a distal side, on the proximal side of the tubular member; and a distal flap, including a base end on a distal side and a free end on a proximal side, on the distal side of the tubular member are arranged; where the tubular member includes a distal side first supporting member provided on a distal side of a midpoint between the base end and the free end of the distal flap or a proximal side first supporting member provided on a proximal side of a midpoint between the base end and the free end of the proximal flap.

Apparatus and methods are described including identifying a subject as suffering from a condition that causes the subject to have elevated central venous pressure. In response thereto, a device is placed inside the subject's vena cava, and the device is deployed inside the subject's vena cava, such that, in a passive manner, the device reduces blood pressure within the subject's renal veins relative to the subject's central venous pressure. Other applications are also described.

A valve prosthesis apparatus for being implanted into a heart is provided. The valve prosthesis apparatus includes a valve body and a ventricle volume reduction member. The ventricle volume reduction member is fixed to the valve body by a connecting member. The ventricle volume reduction member is arranged by way of forming an isolation cavity for reducing the volume of the ventricle between the ventricle volume reduction member and an inner wall of an apex cordis.

An endoprosthesis has an expanded state and an unexpanded state, the endoprosthesis includes a stent, wherein the stent has a first end, a second end, an inner surface defining a lumen, an outer surface, and a thickness defined between the inner surface and the outer surface; and a stent end covering disposed at one of the first and second ends, the stent end covering including a polymeric coating that includes a base and a plurality of protrusions, the base including a first major surface facing the outer surface of the stent, the base further including a second major surface from which each of the plurality of protrusions extends outwardly, the first major surface opposing the second major surface, wherein the protrusions are arranged in a micropattern. Methods of making and using an endoprosthesis are provided.

An annuloplasty device is disclosed comprising first and second support rings having a coiled configuration, and respective first and second retention units, the first support ring transitions to the second support ring over a transition section, the transition section is adapted to be arranged at a commissure of the heart valve leaflets, a first posterior bow of the first support ring and a second posterior bow of the second support ring extend in respective first and second coil planes being essentially perpendicular to the central axis, the transition section bends at least partly along the central axis so that the first coil plane is separated a distance from the second coil plane along the central axis at the transition section.

An implantable medical device includes an expandable frame that is moveable between a collapsed configuration for delivery and an expanded configuration for deployment. One or more proximally-facing fixation burrs are secured relative to the expandable frame. One or more distally-facing fixation burrs are secured relative to the expandable frame. The one or more proximally-facing fixation burrs and the one or more distally-facing fixation burrs together provide the implantable medical device with bi-directional stability.

Delivery systems for expandable elements, such as stents or scaffolds having spikes, flails, or other protruding features for penetrating target tissue and/or delivering drugs within a human patient are described along with associated methods for using such systems. The delivery systems can be provided with a stent that is positioned over an inflatable balloon for expansion and delivery of the stent to a target delivery location. By positioning the stent over and about the inflatable balloon, the stent is ready to be expanded by the balloon immediately upon unsheathing with respect to the outer shaft. Additionally or alternatively, a stent can be positioned in an axially offset arrangement with respect to a balloon to reduce the need for space required by overlapping components.

Devices and methods for treating heart disease by increasing the pulmonary vascular compliance and thereby decreasing the right ventricular afterload are disclosed. Devices may include a means for reducing the cross-sectional area of the pulmonary artery during diastole and allowing the cross-sectional area to increase during systole.

A stent that includes a plurality of quill filaments. Each quill filament includes filament material, a surface, and a plurality of quills. Each quill has a tip, a body, and a base where the body extends from the base to the tip. The quill filaments can be interwoven to form the stent or the quill filaments can be engaged to the framework of a stent.

The present disclosure provides a pulmonary artery stent. The pulmonary artery stent includes: a metal stent capable of circumferential expansion; and an isolation membrane wrapping the metal stent to isolate the metal stent from an external environment, and the isolation membrane having a circumferential tensile strength less than an axial tensile strength. The embodiments of the present disclosure can not only expand the diameter of the stent according to a change in the diameter of a blood vessel to meet a support performance requirement after the blood vessel enlarges but also isolate the metal portion of the stent from a vascular environment, thus effectively solving a problem of in-stent restenosis.