A catheter is disclosed that allows selective direction of a surgical tool into multiple blood vessels of a patient. The catheter includes a catheter body that has a main exit port and a side exit port. An internal balloon is provided within the catheter body. The internal balloon is inflatable, and can be located at or near a distal portion of the side exit port. When deflated, the internal balloon allows the surgical tool to advance past the side exit port and out the main exit port. When inflated, the internal balloon directs the surgical tool to advance out the side exit port instead of the main exit port.

A catheter assembly for use in a percutaneous heart pump is provided. The catheter assembly may include a GWG that includes a hypotube and a sleeve section coupled to a distal end of the hypotube. The sleeve section is configured to extend across a distal septum of the percutaneous heart pump when the GWG is inserted into the percutaneous heart pump, and facilitate reducing deformation of the distal septum while the sleeve section extends across the distal septum.

A catheter includes a handle with torqueing and steering mechanisms. The torqueing mechanism includes a rotatable nosecone and a bearing coupled to the nosecone to be rotatable therewith. The bearing is concentrically disposed over a shaft of the catheter. The steering mechanism includes a rack coupled to the bearing to be slideable therewith and a pull wire having a proximal end attached to the bearing and a distal end attached to a distal portion of the shaft. Rotation of the nosecone causes an entire length of the shaft to rotate and axial movement of the rack tensions the pull wire to bend the distal portion of the shaft. A valve relief component is slidingly disposed over the shaft and is configured to dock onto the handle when not in use.

Embodiments of the invention provide apparatus, systems and methods for stimulating tissue in the urinary tract to initiate or facilitate urination. One embodiment provides an external urinary sphincter stimulation (EUSS) catheter for stimulating the external urinary sphincter (EUS), where the EUSS catheter includes nerve stimulation electrodes (NSES) for delivering current to nerves within or around the EUS in order to relax the EUS prior to urination. Other embodiments provide a system for stimulating the EUS including the EUSS catheter and a controller operatively coupled to the EUSS catheter, where the controller includes a pulse generator for delivering current to the NSES. Other embodiments provide methods for positioning the EUSS catheter in the patient's body including in the EUS using a urethral approach. Embodiments of the invention are particularly useful for initiating and/or controlling urination for patients who have lost the ability to voluntarily urinate due to neurogenic bladder dysfunction.

A catheter system includes a catheter having an elongate shaft, a balloon and a light guide. The balloon expands from a collapsed configuration to a first expanded configuration. The light guide is disposed along the elongate shaft and is in optical communication with a light source and a balloon fluid. A first portion of the light guide extends into a recess defined by the elongate shaft. A protection structure is disposed within the recess and is in contact with the first portion of the light guide. The light source provides pulses of light to the balloon fluid, thereby initiating plasma formation and rapid bubble formation within the balloon, thereby imparting pressure waves upon a vascular lesion. The protection structure can provide structural protection from the pressure waves to the first portion of the light guide.

A catheter system and a method for performing body obstruction destruction are disclosed. The catheter comprises a catheter shaft comprising a proximal end and a distal end, including an outer tubular member and at least one inner tubular member disposed within the outer tubular member; a first fluid lumen defined between the inner tubular member and the outer tubular member and at least one second lumen defined by the inner tubular member; one or more fluid exit openings located at a distal end region of the catheter configured to permit fluid to exit the catheter from the first fluid lumen; fluid pressure means located external of the catheter ahead from the proximal end for delivering said fluid in the first fluid lumen at a pressure range predetermined to cause destruction of said obstruction.

A surgical system and method are used to position a guidewire within an anatomical passageway includes the guidewire, a dilator, a reference feature, and a marker. The guidewire has a guidewire body extending to a distal body end portion. The dilator is secured on the distal body end portion and configured to expand from a contracted state to an expanded state. The dilator in the contracted state is configured to pass through an isthmus of a Eustachian tube. The dilator in the expanded state is configured to dilate the Eustachian tube. The reference feature secured relative to the guidewire, and the marker is positioned on the guidewire a predetermined distance from the reference feature. Thereby, the marker is configured to indicate the predetermined distance to an operator for determining a depth of the reference feature in the anatomical passageway.

An apparatus includes a handle assembly, a guide member extending distally from the handle assembly, and a dilation catheter slidably disposed relative to the guide member. The dilation catheter includes an expandable element configured to dilate a paranasal sinus ostium of a patient. A navigation sensor is movably disposed at the distal end of the guide member and is operable to generate a signal corresponding to a location thereof within the patient. The navigation sensor is configured to translate distally with the dilation catheter relative to the guide member when a distal end of the dilation catheter translates distally beyond the distal end of the guide member. The navigation sensor is further configured to assume a position at the distal end of the guide member when the distal end of the dilation catheter retracts proximally of the distal end of the guide member.

A catheter includes a handle with torqueing and steering mechanisms. The torqueing mechanism includes a rotatable nosecone and a bearing coupled to the nosecone to be rotatable therewith. The bearing is concentrically disposed over a shaft of the catheter. The steering mechanism includes a rack coupled to the bearing to be slideable therewith and a pull wire having a proximal end attached to the bearing and a distal end attached to a distal portion of the shaft. Rotation of the nosecone causes an entire length of the shaft to rotate and axial movement of the rack tensions the pull wire to bend the distal portion of the shaft. A valve relief component is slidingly disposed over the shaft and is configured to dock onto the handle when not in use.

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.