An implantable prosthetic valve assembly, according to one embodiment, comprises a frame assembly including a plurality of struts and a prosthetic valve secured inside the frame assembly by sutures. The sutures are inward of the outermost surface of an outer periphery of the frame assembly. In certain embodiments the struts contain recesses in which sutures can be disposed. In other embodiments, the struts can have holes through them which the sutures pass through. The implantable prosthetic valve assembly can also be collapsed within a catheter such that an outermost surface of a periphery of the frame assembly touches the catheter but the sutures are spaced apart from the catheter or are flush with the outer surface of the frame.

A prosthetic heart valve system may include a collapsible anchor frame which may include a support frame that has a central portion, and atrial and ventricular portions flared radially outwardly from the central portion. The atrial and ventricular portions may be sized to sandwich or clamp an annulus of the heart valve. An atrial sheet may be coupled to the atrial portion of the support frame and may extend radially inwardly to a central aperture in the atrial sheet, the atrial sheet being formed of a material that is substantially impermeable to blood. The system may include a leaflet support structure, an inflow end of the leaflet support structure coupled to the atrial sheet. The atrial sheet may define an opening positioned radially outside of the leaflet support structure so that blood flowing around an exterior of the leaflet support structure passes through the opening.

Annuloplasty prosthesis device (1), which is suitable for remodeling a native annulus (2), comprises a body having the shape of at least one ring portion defining a longitudinal direction, coinciding with or locally parallel to the longitudinal development direction of said body; said portion (5) being opposite to said first arcuate section (4), and the body comprises a first arcuate section (4) and at least a second segment (5); said first arcuate section (4) is flexible in a first direction, locally transverse to the longitudinal direction, so as to be deformable under flexion along said first direction; said first arcuate section (4) defines a plane of storage substantially parallel both to the longitudinal direction and to the first direction; said at least a second section (5) is rigid under flexion in said plane of storage (XY); said second section (5) is flexible in a second direction (ZZ), transverse to the plane of storage, so as to be deformable under flexion along said second direction.

A method of preparing an interpositional implant suitable for a knee. The method includes determining a three-dimensional shape of a tibial surface of the knee. An implant is produced having a superior surface and an inferior surface, with the superior surface adapted to be positioned against a femoral condyle of the knee, and the inferior surface adapted to be positioned upon the tibial surface of the knee. The inferior surface conforms to the three-dimensional shape of the tibial surface. The implant may be inserted into the knee without making surgical cuts on the tibial surface. The tibial surface may include cartilage, or cartilage and bone.

In one embodiment, a method of assembling a prosthetic valve can comprise forming a radially expandable and compressible frame by pivotally joining together a plurality of struts without requiring individual rivets. In some embodiments, the frame is formed by interweaving the struts, which can be joined using integral hinges formed in the struts, such as by performing alternate cuts on the struts, bending the struts to form stopper tabs adjacent to joints and/or drilling holes in the struts to facilitate interconnecting struts at joints, or otherwise forming integral hinges and corresponding holes at junction points between the struts. In other embodiments, separate hinges are provided to interconnect the struts. In still other embodiments, separate flanged rivets are provided to connect the struts.

The present invention includes an embolic protection device comprising a catheter having a self-expanding embolic filter that is disposed around the catheter proximal to a distal portion, wherein the embolic filter comprises a frame, and the frame defines an opening of the embolic filter that faces the distal end of the catheter; a deployment mechanism that is disposed around at least a portion of the catheter, wherein the deployment mechanism is longitudinally movable with respect to the catheter, the deployment mechanism is configured to contain the embolic filter in a collapsed configuration, and the embolic filter is configured to self-expand upon the longitudinal retraction of the deployment mechanism; and a wire coupled to the frame for expanding the size or diameter of the embolic filter opening.

Prosthetic heart valve devices for percutaneous replacement of native heart valves and associated systems and method are disclosed herein. A prosthetic heart valve device configured in accordance with a particular embodiment of the present technology can include an expandable support having an outer surface and configured for placement between leaflets of the native valve. The device can also include a plurality of asymmetrically arranged arms coupled to the expandable support and configured to receive the leaflets of the native valve between the arms and the outer surface. In some embodiments, the arms can include tip portions for engaging a subannular surface of the native valve.

A system for dynamically controlling a weld profile includes a generator, and end effector, a sensor, and a computer. The generator is configured to supply energy based on the weld profile. The end effector operatively connected to the generator and configured to apply vibratory energy and pressure to an object. The sensor configured to provide an output with respect to the object. The computer configured to monitor the output and change the weld profile of the generator based on the output.

Apparatus and methods are provided for treating patients exhibiting symptoms of hypertension, isolated systolic hypertension, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, May-Thuner Syndrome or dyspnea by diagnosing and reducing narrowing of a patient's iliac vein caused by extrinsic localized compression using a stent having circumferential differential radial stiffness and delivery catheter for aligning and deploying such stents.

In one embodiment, a prosthetic valve can comprise a radially expandable and compressible frame, which can include a plurality of struts which are pivotally joined together without requiring individual rivets. In some embodiments, the struts are interwoven, and can be joined using integral hinges formed in the struts, such as by performing alternate cuts on the struts, bending the struts to form stopper tabs adjacent to joints and/or drilling holes in the struts to facilitate interconnecting struts at joints, or otherwise forming integral hinges and corresponding holes at junction points between the struts. In another embodiment, the frame comprises a plurality of inner struts and outer struts which are connected by a plurality of chains of interconnected rivets, avoiding the need to provide individual rivets at each junction between struts. In still another embodiment, separate hinges are provided to interconnect the struts. In still another embodiment, separate flanged rivets are provided to connect the struts.