A wiggle catheter (a dilator) is disclosed to facilitate advancing catheters after puncturing a blood pathway, including without limitation navigation of noncompliant hardware through a diseased lumen. The wiggle catheter includes a proximal section, a distal section, and an intermediate section disposed between the proximal section and the distal section, the intermediate section may include a plurality of angulated kinks along the long axis of the catheter, the angulated kinks having substantially the same diameter at the outer edge of the kinks, said diameter of the outer edge of the kinks being substantially same as the inner diameter of an introducer sheath whereby the wiggle catheter may be positioned inside the introducer sheath with the outer edges of the kinks in close proximity to the inner surface of the introducer sheath. The wiggle catheter may also include a sinusoidal waveform like structure or a helical or spiral structure.

The present disclosure relates to a method and a device for treating heart failure by normalizing elevated blood pressure in the left and right atria of a heart of a mammal. The present disclosure includes methods for creating and maintaining an opening in the atrial septum. Tools for making an opening and enlarging the opening are also disclosed. Use of the techniques and tools described herein prolongs the patency of an intra-atrial pressure relief opening.

The utility model discloses a urinary catheter for women and peristaltic pump, which comprises a body tube with an inner surface and an outer surface, and further comprises an external urethral orifice fixing part which can at least sleeve the catheter tip end inside when applied, a flexible urethral guide part, a urinary catheter driving part sleeved with the cylindrical body of the external urethral orifice fixing part, a hydrophobic part for leakage stop at the urinary outlet of the urinary catheter, a thin segment, a pump tube, a tube bed and other special structures for dilating the narrowed part of the urethra, which not only eliminate the defect of the traditional “non-guided suspended placement” in a safe mode of “US-guided adjacent placement” and completely avoid contamination of the urinary catheter by the periurethral tissue, but also avoid the injury of urethral intima caused by urethral stricture in the placement procedure to the greatest extent; avoid contamination of the urinary catheter outlet by urine outflow; effectively clear the blockage of urine inlet due to blood clots and tissue masses in bladder during indwelling, and can also minimize the residual urine volume when used in conjunction with a special peristaltic pump.

A steerable transseptal punch system and method of using the steerable transseptal punch system to access the left atrium.

Aspects of an expandable sheath can be used in conjunction with a catheter assembly to introduce a prosthetic device, such as a heart valve, into a patient. Such aspects can minimize trauma to the vessel by allowing for temporary expansion of a portion of the introducer sheath to accommodate the delivery apparatus, followed by a return to the original diameter once the prosthetic device passes through. Some aspects can include a sheath with inner and outer layers having at least one folded portion of the inner liner. Some aspects include the inner liner having etched, unetched, and otherwise surface-modified portions. Aspects of the present expandable sheath can avoid the need for multiple insertions for the dilation of the vessel, thus offering advantages over prior art introducer sheaths.

Examples of an expandable sheath can be used in conjunction with a catheter assembly to introduce a prosthetic device, such as a heart valve, into a patient. Such examples can minimize trauma to the vessel by allowing for temporary expansion of a portion of the introducer sheath to accommodate the delivery apparatus, followed by a return to the original diameter once the prosthetic device passes through. Some examples can include a sheath with inner and outer layers, where a folded portion of the inner layer extends through a slit in the outer layer and a portion of the outer layer overlaps the folded portion of the inner layer. Some examples include an elastic outer cover positioned outside the outer layer. Examples of the present expandable sheath can avoid the need for multiple insertions for the dilation of the vessel, thus offering advantages over prior art introducer sheaths.

Some embodiments provided herein relate to methods, systems and kits for providing consistent intracoronary administration of a biologic to subjects having diverse coronary anatomies. In some embodiments, the biologic is an adeno-associated virus serotype 1 (AAV1) vector encoding sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum ATPase 2a (SERCA2a) protein.

A deployment device for lining a vessel having a housing having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, the housing defining a guidewire channel, a tube elongated along a longitudinal axis, the tube having a proximal end and a distal end spaced from the proximal end of the tube along the longitudinal axis, a sheath assembly having a hub removably coupled to the distal end of the housing, and a mesh removably coupled to the tube and positioned along the tube. The tube and the sheath assembly are configured to move along the guidewire and into the vessel through a puncture and release the mesh inside the vessel when at least one of the tube and the mesh is actuated. The device is used as a method of mitigating potential injury or harm to the integrity of the patient's vessel lining.

A matter elimination catheter includes a catheter body extending from a catheter proximal portion to a catheter distal portion. The catheter body includes an infusion lumen, an aspiration lumen fluidly isolated from the infusion lumen, and a septum interposed between the infusion and aspiration lumens. A drive shaft is within the infusion lumen and is configured to provide rotation near the catheter distal portion. A guide wire lumen is within the drive shaft, and the infusion lumen, the drive shaft and the guide wire lumen are fluidly separated from the aspiration lumen with the septum. In one example, fluid bearings are formed between one or more of the catheter body and drive shaft or the drive shaft and a guide wire or guide wire liner when supplied with infusion fluid through the infusion lumen.

Apparatus and methods are provided for delivering fluids into a patient's body that includes a tubular member including a proximal end, a distal end sized for introduction into a patient's body, and a fluid delivery lumen extending between the proximal and distal ends; and a flexible pad on the distal end including a tissue contacting surface, a passage communicating with the fluid delivery lumen, and plurality of capillary channels in the tissue contact surface communicating with the passage, the capillary channels configured to deliver fluid from the fluid delivery lumen and passage to tissue contacted by the tissue contact surface.