Systems, apparatuses, and methods for treating a patent foramen ovale (PFO) of a patient. A system may include a catheter configured to extend within at least a portion of the patients heart. One or more stabilizer balloons may be coupled to the catheter and configured to be positioned within a tunnel of the patent foramen ovale and inflated to apply a force to at least one of a septum primum or a septum secundum of the patients heart. An injection device may be configured to inject material into at least one of the septum primum or the septum secundum to cause swelling of the injected septum primum or the injected septum secundum in a direction towards the opposing septum primum or the opposing septum secundum.

In some examples, a catheter includes one or more balloons that, when inflated, are configured to be apposition with vasculature or other hollow anatomical structure of a patient to help anchor the catheter within the vasculature, while still permitting fluid to flow past the inflated balloons. When inflated, the one or more balloons define one or more passageways configured to enable fluid to flow past the inflated balloons in a direction along a longitudinal axis of the catheter. For example, the catheter may comprise a plurality of balloons that are circumferentially and longitudinally staggered relative to each other.

A device and method for intravascular treatment of an embolism, and particularly a pulmonary embolism, is disclosed herein. One aspect of the present technology, for example, is directed toward a clot treatment device that includes a support member having a plurality of first clot engagement members and second clot engagement members positioned about the circumference of a distal portion of the support member. In an undeployed state, individual first clot engagement members can be linear and have a first length, and individual second clot engagement members can be linear and have a second length that is less than the first length. The clot engagement members can be configured to penetrate clot material along an arcuate path and hold clot material to the clot treatment device.

A rail and/or anchor system and method for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt procedures. The system includes a rail and/or anchor line anchorable to surrounding tissue or used as a rail, and configured to guide the displacement of at least one of a needle and an outer sheath. The rail and/or anchor line may include a balloon catheter, and a balloon of the balloon catheter may be configured to selectively anchor the anchor line to surrounding tissue by the balloon being inflated, and unanchor the anchor line to surrounding tissue by the balloon being deflated. The balloon catheter can be stiff so that it can be used as a rail even when not anchored. The balloon catheter may be configured for executing wedge venography, and for measuring pressure at a tip of the balloon catheter while a balloon of the balloon catheter is inflated. The anchor line may include one or more hooks for anchoring the anchor line to surrounding tissue. The one or more hooks may be selectively advanceable and retractable.

A catheter system can include a tubular body, and at least one of a targeting system coupled to the tubular body, an expandable member, or a fluid injection port. A method of identifying a bifurcation can include inserting a catheter system into a first vessel, positioning the catheter system at a first location, expanding an expandable member to occlude the first vessel, delivering contrast material so the contrast material pooling proximate to the expandable member, and reviewing a shape of the contrast material in the first vessel under fluoroscopy.

A heart vent catheter includes an elongate, flexible tube that defines a first passageway. The catheter has a distal end, a central portion, and a proximal end. A balloon is included as part of the distal end and surrounds at least a portion of the tube. A plurality of first openings are formed in the tube adjacent the balloon on the forwardmost side of the balloon. A plurality of second openings can be formed in the tube adjacent the balloon on the proximal side of the balloon. After the distal end has been inserted into a desired part of a patient's heart, such as the left ventricle, the balloon can be inflated so as to engage a part of the heart such as the mitral valve and thereby prevent undesired withdrawal of the catheter. The proximal end includes a formation that can be connected to a vacuum source. The openings in the tube in the distal end permit blood, other fluid, debris and/or air to be withdrawn from the heart through the first passageway under suction. After the surgical procedure has been completed, the balloon can be collapsed and the catheter can be withdrawn from the heart.

Methods and devices are disclosed for treating neurovascular venous outflow obstructions, with or without implantation of a prosthetic valve. The valve may be carried by a support, such as a stent, which may be self-expandable or balloon expandable. Both transvascular and direct surgical access is contemplated.

The invention provides a catheter and control box apparatus and related methods that are useful in delivering liquids, including liquids comprising nucleic acid molecules into cells. In particular, the invention provides a catheter that stabilizes fluid flow within a vein to deliver a volume, pressure charge of saline solution, exogenous compositions, and isolated vectors to kidney cells, using the renal vein as a guide and under hydrodynamic pressure. The catheter and control box apparatus and related methods described herein are useful to research, prognose, ameliorate symptoms of kidney injury, and treat kidney pathologies.

Tissue transfer devices suitable for transfer of tissues include a cannula, a plurality of tissue separating members outwardly extendable from the cannula, a tissue reservoir disposed in fluid communication with the cannula and a pump disposed in fluid communication with the tissue reservoir.

Disclosed herein are medical instrument and medical method for localized drug delivery. The medical instrument can comprise a catheter shaft assembly, a hub coupled to the proximal end of the catheter shaft assembly, an inflatable component at the distal end of the catheter shaft assembly, a tissue penetrating member coupled to the inflatable component in an orientation transverse to the longitudinal axis of the catheter shaft assembly, and at least one protective element coupled to the inflatable component in proximity to the tissue penetrating member. The protective element can be configured to prevent any damage of the inflatable body during a placement of the medical instrument and an actuation of the inflatable component.