An apparatus for mechanically manipulating hollow organs within the body of a subject, or an organ manipulation apparatus, includes a manipulation section. The manipulation section may include a substantially two-dimensional element, which may have a width that exceeds a distance across a portion of the interior of a hollow organ within which the manipulation section is to be positioned. The manipulation section is configured to manipulate at least a portion of a hollow organ from within, which may modify at least one of a shape, orientation, or location of at least part of the hollow organ. Methods for manipulating hollow organs are also disclosed, as are operating techniques, such as left atrial ablation, in which the shapes, orientations, and/or locations of hollow organs are manipulated to move the hollow organs away from the site of the medical procedure, reducing the potential for damage to the hollow organs.

Provided is a treatment method and a medical device that can intentionally and locally administer a drug to a lesion area appearing in a narrow blood vessel such as a retinal blood vessel and a spinal blood vessel. The treatment method has an introduction step of introducing a medical elongated body having a drug holder for holding a drug into a living body, an arrangement step of arranging the drug holder at a treatment target inside the living body, and a discharge step of discharging the drug to the treatment target by releasing the drug held by the drug holder.

A medical device system includes a medical device that is configured to be delivered to a lesion area in a body lumen, a guide wire that is configured to guide the medical device, a port member that is configured to introduce the guide wire and the medical device into a living body, a proximal-end fixing member that is configured to fix the guide wire and the port member and is provided with an operation unit that is configured to cause the guide wire to move in an insertion/pulling-out direction from the fixed state, an anchor device provided with an anchor portion in a distal portion thereof, and an anchor-device guide wire that is configured to guide the anchor device.

An instrument includes a handle assembly, a shaft, a dilation catheter, and a position sensor. The shaft extends distally from the handle assembly. The shaft includes a distal end that is configured to be introduced into an anatomical passageway within a head of a human. The dilation catheter includes an expandable dilator and is configured to advance distally relative to the shaft. The position sensor is configured to generate signals indicating a position of the position sensor within the head. The position sensor is configured to advance distally between at least first and second positions. The position sensor is disposed adjacent the distal end of the shaft in the first position, and is configured to be carried further distally by the dilation catheter to the second position. In the second position, the position sensor is separated a distance from the distal end of the shaft.

A manipulator, including an elongated chassis containing a U-shaped channel defining a distal direction and a proximal direction. The manipulator also includes an adjuster that is configured to slide in the U-shaped channel. The adjuster includes a first wheel which on rotation translates a guidewire positioned in the adjuster along an axis of the guidewire, and a second wheel which on rotation rotates the guidewire positioned in the adjuster about the axis of the guidewire. The adjuster also includes a port, distal to the first and the second wheel, that is configured to accept a tubular balloon and the guidewire.

An apparatus for performing a medical procedure is provided. A catheter includes a tubular body having a plurality of markings indicative of a distance to an end portion of the catheter. A movable indicator repositionable on the tubular body to indicate a position of at least one of the plurality of markings. The indicator may also be provided with a magnifier for facilitating reading any indicia on the catheter.

An integrated guidewire includes a wire and a flexible tube. The wire is sized and shaped to move in an anatomical material transportation system of a patient. The flexible tube is sized and shaped to move in the anatomical material transportation system, having proximal and distal ends, the proximal-end is coupled to a device external to the patient, the flexible tube is configured to transfer fluids between the distal-end and the device, and the wire and the flexible tube are intertwined with respect to one another.

A captivation catheter for use with a guide catheter and a guidewire or a treatment catheter. The captivation catheter includes a relatively rigid elongate member and a captivation mechanism such as an inflatable balloon capable of fixing the guidewire or the treatment catheter in place against an inner surface of the guide catheter. The captivation catheter can include a clip with an open end and a closed end that is placed on the captivation catheter at markings present for compatibility with a particular working length of the guide catheter. The markings can be visible at different viewing orientations.

A medical instrument that includes a needle and an expandable member located at a distal end of the needle. The expandable member includes a blocking member. The expandable member is configured to move tissue away from a distal end of the needle and/or from a distal end of a tubular member that is in fluid communication with a substance source. A substance is configured to be expelled into the anatomy through the expandable member. The blocking member is configured to restrict or prevent the substance from being expelled through the portion of the expandable member that includes the blocking member.

An apparatus comprises a shaft, an expandable dilator, and at least one ventilation pathway. The shaft defines a longitudinal axis and comprises a distal and proximal ends with at least one shaft lumen. The expandable dilator comprises body with its own proximal and distal ends. The body is configured to transition between a contracted state and an expanded state. The body is configured to dilate a Eustachian tube of a patient in the expanded state. The at least one ventilation pathway is configured to provide ventilation from the distal end of the body to the proximal end of the body when the body is in the expanded state. In some examples, the ventilation pathway comprises a set of transversely oriented vent openings formed through the shaft. In some other examples, the ventilation pathway comprises a space defined between one or more radially outwardly protruding features of the expandable dilator.