A balloon catheter is provided with a main tube and an air tube therein. The main tube is provided with a central lumen to allow the balloon catheter to travel across and be guided along a guidewire during insertion into a vasculature of a patient. The air tube is configured to transfer fluid, such as air, to a balloon for inflating and deflating the balloon. The air tube can be embedded within the inner and outer surfaces of the main tube. Holes are cut into the main tube and a portion of the air tube to expose the air tube to the environment outside of the main tube. The holes allow for fluid communication between the air tube and the balloon. The holes are cut or sheared at a direction that is lateral to the longitudinal direction of the catheter tube.

A catheter system may include a catheter adapter, which may include a distal end and a proximal end. The catheter system may include a catheter, which may include a distal end, a proximal end, a catheter lumen extending through the distal end of the catheter and the proximal end of the catheter, and an inner surface forming the catheter lumen. The catheter may extend distally from the distal end of the catheter adapter. The distal end of the catheter may include one or more holes. The distal end of the catheter may include one or more channels. The holes and/or the channels may facilitate visualization of blood flashback indicating the catheter is disposed within a vein of a patient.

A catheter for percutaneous cardiopulmonary support has a lumen through which blood flows to a living body. The catheter comprises a catheter tube including a tubular reinforcing body including a plurality of wires braided into a mesh shape and a resin layer provided so as to cover the reinforcing body. A plurality of side holes are formed at a distal end of the catheter tube to communicate the lumen with the outside of the catheter tube. The side holes allow the blood flowing through the lumen to flow out in a direction intersecting an axial direction of the catheter tube when the catheter tube is indwelled. The plurality of side holes preferably may be spirally arranged in a circumferential direction of the tube.

Systems and methods for effecting bariatric procedures are disclosed. Each system includes an instrument, a control valve and, optionally, a suction controller. The instrument is in the form of an elongated, flexible member having a distal end portion arranged for anchoring the instrument in the patient's stomach and for enabling fluids to be removed from the patient's stomach. Suction is applied to the patient's stomach by the distal end portion of the instrument to drain gastric fluids and to bring adjacent portions of the patient's stomach into engagement with the instrument to provide a visually perceptible delineation line along which a portion of the stomach may be resected, sealed and tested.

A system for aspirating thrombus and delivering an agent includes an aspiration catheter having a supply lumen having a proximal end, a distal end, and a wall, and an aspiration lumen having a proximal end, an open distal end, and an interior wall surface adjacent the open distal end, and at least one orifice at or adjacent the distal end of the supply lumen, in fluid communication with the aspiration lumen and located proximally of the open distal end of the aspiration lumen, wherein the at least one orifice is configured to create a spray pattern that is caused to impinge on the interior wall surface of the aspiration lumen such that the spray pattern upon impinging on the interior wall surface is caused to transform into at least a substantially distally-oriented flow capable of exiting the open distal end of the aspiration lumen.

One embodiment is a medical device with a flexibly deformable external hose. The external hose includes multiple openings, at least one of them arranged in a first end of the external hose. It includes a flexible internal hose, which is arranged on the inside of the external hose. The internal hose, in an expanded state, has an external diameter that is at least equal to the internal diameter of the external hose, closing the openings of the external hose. The external diameter of the internal hose can be transitioned from the expanded state into a radially contracted state, exposing the openings. A connection firmly connects the external hose and the internal hose on the first end of the external hose, and closes them in fluid-tight manner. A connector supplies the fluid into the intervening space between the external and the internal hose.

The present invention provides a bi-directional perfusion cannula for use in peripheral veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation of a patient, the cannula comprising a cannula main body having a primary lumen, the primary lumen leading to a distal end of the cannula main body for providing retrograde blood perfusion, characterized in that the main body further comprises a passage for passing a second cannula therethrough, the passage being oriented such that when a second cannula is inserted into the passage the second cannula is arranged for providing anterograde blood perfusion.

A catheter has a catheter tube made of plastic with a closed catheter tip. At least one passage opening is formed in a section of a sheath wall adjacent to the catheter tip. The passage opening merges into the outer sheath wall of the catheter tube via rounded edge regions. The result is a catheter whose insertion into a body cavity is facilitated.

A user-controllable urinary catheter prosthesis (20) is provided for minimally-invasive insertion into a subject. The prosthesis (20) includes a proximal intra-urethral assembly (22), configured to be inserted entirely within a urethra (102) via a meatus (104). A user-activatable hydraulic activator (50) is disposed along a flexible intra-urethral catheter (30, 430), which is shaped so as to define a urinary outlet (40, 440) at a proximal end (41, 441) thereof. A distal bladder assembly (32, 132, 232, 332) is configured to be disposed in a bladder of the subject, and includes a bladder anchor (48). A hydraulic valve (60, 160, 260, 360) is configured to assume an open state, in which urine flow is allowed between the distal bladder assembly (32, 132, 232, 332) and the urinary outlet (40, 440); and a closed resting state, in which urine is entirely blocked from entering the distal bladder assembly (32, 132, 232, 332) and exiting the urinary outlet (40, 440). Application of pressure to the hydraulic activator (50) transitions the hydraulic valve (60, 160, 260, 360) from the closed resting state to the open state. Other embodiments are also described.

Aspiration medical devices and methods for making and using aspiration medical devices are disclosed. An example aspiration medical device may include a catheter shaft having a distal end region and defining an inflow orifice adjacent to the distal end region. An aspiration member may be disposed within the catheter shaft. The aspiration member may have a plurality of axially-spaced fluid jets formed therein. A collar may be disposed over the aspiration member. The collar may have a jet support region disposed adjacent to at least one of the fluid jets and a wall support region disposed adjacent to a wall of the catheter shaft.