A tubular pulsatile ventricular assist device (PVAD) system for providing forward flow of blood in a pulsatile, peristaltic, and non-hemolytic manner to help reduce the amount of blood clotting associated with current ventricular devices on the market. The system can encircle a portion of a blood vessel, and the system can sequentially apply a pressure through each port in a particular pre-determined patter so as to selectively occlude the lumen, thereby creating a pulsatile, peristaltic movement along a length of system. Said movement causes blood to flow through the portion of the blood vessel.

A system configured to be at least partially implanted along an aorta includes an inelastic, static member and a pinching member. The pinching member is configured to receive an activation signal at an activation rate and in response to the activation signal, repeatedly compress the aorta at the second location at the activation rate to pump fluid within the aorta in a desired pumping direction. The system is configured to selectively control wave reflections in order to achieve both improved wave dynamics to reduce cardiac load and increased (or at least non-diminished) blood flow to targeted organs within the cardiovascular system.

The devices and method described herein allow for therapeutic damage to increase volume in these hyperdynamic hearts to allow improved physiology and ventricular filling and to reduce diastolic filling pressure by making the ventricle less stiff. For example, improving a diastolic heart function in a heart by creating at least one incision in cardiac muscle forming an interior heart wall of the interior chamber where the at least one incision extends into one or more layers of the interior heart wall without puncturing through the interior heart wall and the incision is sufficient to reduce a stiffness of the interior chamber to increase volume of the chamber and reduce diastolic filing pressure.

An implantable device for improving the pump function of the heart of a human patient by applying an external force on the heart muscle. The device comprises at least one pump device comprising a heart contacting organ, an operating device for operating the heart contacting organ, and an implantable pressurized fluid system. The fluid system comprises a first implantable chamber adapted to hold a pressurized fluid, wherein said first chamber is adapted to hold a fluid having a high pressure and a second implantable chamber adapted to hold a pressurized fluid, wherein said second chamber is adapted to hold a fluid having a lower pressure. The movement of the heart contacting organ assists the pump function of the heart.

The present invention relates to method for implanting a medical device for controlling a flow of fluid in a lumen formed by a tissue wall of a patient's urethra. The method is performed by: cutting the skin of the patient, inserting a dissecting tool and dissecting an area of at least one portion of the tissue wall of the urethra, placing an adjustable constriction device in the dissected area in operative engagement with the urethra, placing an operation device configured to operate the adjustable constriction device to control the flow of urine in the urethra in the patient's body, placing a sensor configured to sense a temperature of the medical device in the patient's body, and placing a control unit in the patient's body configured to control the operation device based on information from the sensor.

Devices and methods for providing localized pressure to a region of a patient's heart to improve heart functioning, including: (a) a jacket made of a flexible biocompatible material, the jacket having an open top end that is received around the heart and a bottom portion that is received around the apex of the heart; and (b) at least one inflatable bladder disposed on an interior surface of the jacket, the inflatable bladder having an inelastic outer surface positioned adjacent to the jacket and an elastic inner surface such that inflation of the bladder causes the bladder to deform substantially inwardly to exert localized pressure against a region of the heart.

New methods and devices for treating heart failure and other cardiac disease conditions. Devices include a cardiac jacket adapted to fit generally around at least a portion of the heart. The jacket in some embodiments includes an electroactive polymer to squeeze the exterior of the heart to assist contraction of one or more pumping chambers, preferably the left ventricle. The jacket may also include stem cells on an inner surface of the jacket. The stem cells differentiate into cardiac tissue and help treatment of heart failure. Some embodiments also involve delivering an electric field or an electric current to electrically conductive material in the jacket to establish an electromagnetic field at the surface of the heart effective to promote growth and differentiation of stem cells into cardiac tissue.

Devices and methods for providing localized pressure to a region of a patient's heart to improve heart functioning, including: (a) a jacket made of a flexible biocompatible material, the jacket having an open top end that is received around the heart and a bottom portion that is received around the apex of the heart; and (b) at least one inflatable bladder disposed on an interior surface of the jacket, the inflatable bladder having an inelastic outer surface positioned adjacent to the jacket and an elastic inner surface such that inflation of the bladder causes the bladder to deform substantially inwardly to exert localized pressure against a region of the heart.

The present disclosure relates to techniques for restricting luminary organs. More specifically, a constriction device is provided, having one or several constriction elements configured to be inflated and thereby expand in a first direction towards the luminary organ to constrict a first portion of the luminary organ for restricting the flow of fluid therethrough.

The present disclosure relates to techniques for restricting luminary organs. More specifically, a constriction device is provided, having one or several constriction elements configured to be inflated and thereby expand in a first direction towards the luminary organ to constrict a first portion of the luminary organ for restricting the flow of fluid therethrough.