A dilator device including an elongated flexible material sleeve having a hollow interior extending along a distal portion and a proximal portion thereof. An expandable or inflatable bladder is connected to the distal portion and disposable radially outward from an exterior of the sleeve when in an expanded and/or inflated orientation. The elongated sleeve comprising a tip having a predetermined configuration that facilitates positioning the elongated sleeve within an intended body part. A fluid input is structured for removable connection to a fluid source and is disposed on the sleeve, in fluid communication with the bladder. An access opening is formed on the proximal portion and is cooperatively dimensioned with the hollow interior to removably receive any one of a plurality of different types of positioning instruments within the sleeve.

A balloon guide catheter including a balloon and a catheter shaft having a central lumen defined axially therethrough, and an inflation lumen. An exterior surface of the catheter shaft has a distal reduced outer diameter recess area defined therein and a proximal reduced outer diameter recess area separated in an axial direction from the distal reduced outer diameter recess area with a discharge port of the inflation lumen disposed therebetween. The balloon is secured to the catheter shaft by adhesive pooled in the distal reduced outer diameter recess area forming a distal bonding interface area; and the proximal reduced outer diameter recess area forming a proximal bonding interface area. Heat shrink tubing is positioned about the balloon at the distal and proximal bonding interface areas.

One embodiment provides a balloon catheter which has an inner tube having a main lumen and an outer tube which forms an expansion lumen. A part of the inner tube is connected to the outer tube at a position closer to the proximal end than a balloon, a side hole is open at the connection section, and a weak section is provided to the inner tube a position closer to the distal end than the side hole. The weak section has lower rigidity than the remaining portion of the inner tube. When the balloon is expanded by fluid supplied to the expansion lumen, the weak section is pressed by the fluid pressure to thereby close the main lumen of the inner tube.

A balloon catheter, in particular for delivering medicaments, stents or medicament-coated stents in the region of a stenosis, comprising an outer shaft (4) an inner shaft (6), and a balloon (7) at the distal catheter end, which balloon is dilatable by a feedable pressure fluid and which is attached with its proximal end (8) to the outer shaft (4) and with its distal end (9) to the inner shaft (6) which protrudes the outer shaft (4) in the distal direction, and a cover sheath (15) which is seated in a covering position over the contracted balloon (7) and is displaceably guided on the outer shaft (4) and which is displaceable on the outer shaft (4) in the proximal direction via its front opening (17) by the dilating balloon (7) while continuously releasing the same from distal to proximal.

A delivery sheath can comprise an elongate tubular member and an anchor on a distal portion of the elongate tubular member, the anchor being configured to engage with the coronary sinus ostium, or both the coronary sinus ostium and a portion of the coronary sinus adjacent to the ostium, so as to provide stable transcatheter access into the coronary sinus. The anchor can be configured to permit blood flow through the ostium while in engagement with the ostium.

An apparatus and a corresponding method for flushing fluid through a catheter that has, or that is connected to tubing that has, a Luer lock and a Luer-lock interface, wherein the Luer lock opens when a Luer-lock connector is connected to the Luer-lock interface. In some embodiments, the system includes a monolithic structure that includes a fluid-source connector configured to removably connect to a fluid source; a Luer-lock connector configured to operatively connect to the Luer-lock interface on the catheter; and a fluid passageway between the fluid-source connector and the Luer-lock connector. Some embodiments are used for irrigating and flushing an organ (such as flushing an organ with a medication, cancer-treatment fluid, or the like, or instilling medication, cancer-treatment fluid, or the like into the organ).

A device for providing antegrade vascular access through retrograde approach is disclosed. The device includes a balloon arranged on a sheath and one or more side holes formed in the sheath proximal of the balloon. The balloon may be bulbous. A method for providing antegrade vascular access through retrograde approach is also disclosed.

A balloon catheter that includes an elongated main body, a balloon connected to the elongated main body, and a base layer on the outer surface of the balloon. The base layer includes a water-soluble low-molecular weight compound. The balloon catheter also includes a plurality of elongate bodies extending radially away from the outer surface of the balloon. The elongate bodies are crystals of a water-insoluble drug. The elongate bodies each possesses an independent longitudinal axis. At least part of at least some of the elongate bodies are located in the interior of the base layer on the outer surface of the balloon.

A catheter (1) includes an elongated member (2) having a proximal end (4) and a distal end (3). An inflatable balloon (5) is arranged on the elongated member in an area of the distal end thereof, the balloon extending from a distal position (6) to a proximal position (7). The elongated member includes an inner lumen (8) extending from the distal end to an end position (9) which is proximal to the balloon. The inner lumen is open at the distal end. The catheter further includes a duct (12) connected to the proximal end and to the balloon at the proximal position. The duct defines a separate lumen to convey a fluid to and from the balloon.

A device and method for establishing retrograde blood flow during recanalization of a vessel having a targeted blockage. While in a collapsed state an occluding component is introduced distally intravascularly traversing the targeted blockage to its distal side. Then, the occluding component transitions to an expanded state having an enlarged diameter forming a seal with an internal wall of the vessel prohibiting anterograde blood flow beyond the expanded occluding component. Retrograde blood flow is thereby established in a region of the vessel bound at one end by the occluding component and at an opposite end by the targeted blockage by dispensing a flushing fluid into the region of the vessel.