Provided is a urinary catheter capable of easily draining urine stored from an inner wall of a bladder up to the top of a balloon portion, while the balloon portion maintains a function for preventing falling-off of the catheter. There is provided a urinary catheter 1 which includes a catheter body 2, a urine draining lumen 11 which is formed inside the catheter body 2, a balloon 4 which has a first end portion 25 fixed so as to surround the catheter body 2 at a tip end portion side of the catheter body 2 and a second end portion 26 and also has a linear recessed portion 38 extending from the first end portion 25 toward the second end portion 26 along a circumferential surface 31 thereof in an expanded state, a first urine draining port 9 which is formed in the catheter body 2 so as to be closer to the tip end portion side than the balloon 4 to communicate with the urine draining lumen 11, and a second urine draining port 37 which is formed in the vicinity of the first end portion 25 of the balloon 4 in the catheter body 2 to communicate with the urine draining lumen 11.

An everting catheter with an expandable inner lumen for the passage of instruments or other devices is described. The catheter can have an inflatable everting balloon. When inflated, the everting balloon can define a channel or passageway, via an inner balloon lumen, into a target site. Instruments can be delivered to the target site through the channel defined by the inflated everting balloon.

A medical system includes an insertion device including a delivery shaft with an internal lumen, a coupling tube coupled to the delivery shaft and configured to receive a medical device, and a liner tube inserted through the internal lumen of the delivery shaft.

A single or multiple lumen catheter is disclosed which includes an expandable lumen. The expandable lumen is movable from a collapsed or sealed configuration to an open or expanded configuration. In the open configuration, the expandable lumen is dimensioned to receive a guidewire or stylet or facilitate the introduction of fluids into a patient.

A delivery system for an interventional device includes an elongate catheter body, a catheter shaft extending within the elongate catheter body and configured to releasably attach to the interventional device, and at least one flexible element attached to a distal portion of the catheter shaft. The at least one flexible element has an expanded configuration in which the at least one flexible element extends beyond an outer circumference of the elongate catheter body and a collapsed configuration in which the at least one flexible element collapses within an inner circumference of the elongate catheter body. The at least one flexible element is configured to act as a tactile stop when pulled proximally against the elongate catheter body and/or to fold over the interventional device to act as a retraction aid.

Devices and methods for increasing a patient's pulmonary arterial compliance are disclosed. The devices include catheters designed to create a connection between a patient's venous anatomy and the patient's pulmonary artery. With the arteriovenous connection various devices can be implanted in order to increase the volumetric compliance of the pulmonary artery. The devices include collapsible and expandable mechanisms which allow the effective pulmonary arterial volume to expand during systole and contract during diastole. The devices may include a balloon or balloon-like implants which cyclically shuttle a working fluid from the pulmonary artery to the vein and back. The devices may be adjustable to provide desired hemodynamic benefits. Methods are disclosed for making and using the inventive devices.

A tube element for a device for introduction into a body passage comprises a first tube element end and a second tube element end, wherein a longitudinal dimension is formed between the first and second tube element end. The tube element has a sheath comprising an outer wall and an inner wall. A cross-sectional element is arranged between the first and second tube element ends. The cross-sectional element contains a plurality of opening arrangements. Each opening arrangement comprises a first opening containing an insert element and a second opening, the internal pressure of which can be changed by a pressure changing means.

A catheter assembly including a reinforcement structure and a catheter disposed over the reinforcement structure. The reinforcement structure includes a first outer wall reinforcement portion, a second outer wall reinforcement portion, and a septum reinforcement portion connecting the first outer wall reinforcement portion to the second outer wall reinforcement portion. The catheter includes a catheter outer wall and a catheter septum. The first outer wall reinforcement portion and the second outer wall reinforcement portion can be positioned at least partially in the catheter outer wall, and the septum reinforcement portion can be enveloped by the catheter septum. The catheter assembly can also include an outer tube disposed over the catheter and the reinforcement structure.

An intermittent urinary catheter assembly (20) comprises a catheter tube (22) having a proximal insertion end (24) and a distal end (26) remote from the proximal insertion end and a lumen (28) which extends from at or near the proximal insertion end to the distal end for draining urine from a human bladder. The intermittent urinary catheter assembly includes a urine discharge sleeve (34) associated with the discharge opening (30) of the catheter tube, and the urine discharge sleeve has a compact stowed configuration and is extendable into a deployed configuration for directing urine flow. Alternatively, an adapter assembly (50) comprises a fitting or nipple (52) having a urine passageway for insertion into a funnel (40) associated with a urine discharge end of an intermittent urinary catheter, and a discharge funnel (42) associated with the fitting or nipple, and an extendable urine discharge sleeve (34) within the discharge funnel.

Systems and methods for cleaning body cavities are presented. Some embodiments reduce size of fecal matter pieces within an evacuation conduit. Some comprise devices and methods for purging an evacuation conduit. Some comprise reduced cross-sectional profiles of a cleaning device. Some protect intestinal tissue by preventing exposure to excessively high and low pressures.