A medical device and method for artificial insemination are provided. The medical device has a shield and an arm secured to the shield at one end and extending outwardly from the shield. The arm is inserted into the cervical canal of a patient and the shield covers the external os of the patient. By inserting the medical device into a patient's cervical canal after insemination, a physical barrier that holds a semen sample within the cervical canal and prevents leakage from the cervical canal back into the vaginal cavity is established. The device may have a bore extending through the device for a catheter to pass through. The bore has a valve to allow passage of the catheter and prevent backflow of semen. The arm may have a circumferential bulge to help keep the device in place during use.

The invention relates to a device for treating blood flow in an internal wound, including a handling member connected to a series of successively narrower tubes, each tube including a liquid-expandable article. The tubes can be pivotably connected to each other, allowing the tubes to conform to the contours of the wound, or fixed together. The tubes can be encased in a liquid-soluble layer that keeps the liquid-expandable article sequestered from liquids.

The stepwise-tapering profile of the device allows for its insertion into the internal wound with little or no resistance until fully seated. Upon encountering liquids within the wound, the liquid-soluble layer can dissolve to expose the liquid-expandable article. When exposed to the wound liquids, the liquid-expandable element can expand in volume, providing compressive pressure against internal wound surfaces and minimizing blood loss.

The tubes and the liquid-expandable element can include therapeutic agents for treating the wound.

A surgical tool for inserting a spile or plug into the punctal opening of a meatus such as a lacrimo-nasal canaliculus comprises an oblong, hollowed member shaped and dimensioned to be conveniently manipulated with one hand and having at one end a punctal opening and meatus-dilating shaft and, at the opposite end, a plug inserter. The dilating shaft has a cross-diameter substantially equal to the cross-diameter of the plug and is terminated by a conical spike. The inserter comprises a tip extending axially from the member and having, at its distal end, a cup whose internal geometry is commensurate with a cap at the proximal end of the plug. A penetration-resisting bearing surface is provided by the cup rim. A notch through the cup wall improves visualization of the plug during insertion. A steel wire running through the inserter has its distal end inserted into the cap of the plug. The wire can be axially withdrawn by unidirectionally pressing a button in order to release the plug after insertion into the meatus. The plug can be allowed to retract within the cup under the force of insertion or through retraction of the wire.

Disclosed is a false lumen closure assembly for closing a false lumen in a body vessel including a compressed false lumen occluder, a carrier catheter and a retractable sheath. The compressed false lumen occluder includes a stent graft including at least one occlusive barrier across the stent graft to occlude blood flow through an interior of the stent graft. The carrier catheter carries the false lumen occluder and extends from a proximal end proximal of the false lumen occluder to a distal end distal of the false lumen occluder, and passes the false lumen occluder exteriorly of the stent graft. The compressed false lumen occluder and at least part of the carrier catheter are disposed in a lumen of the retractable sheath.

A system for use in performing aortic valve procedures using an instrument disposed through an aortic arch includes a lubricious track positionable within the aortic arch such that a lubricious inferior surface of the track is exposed to the interior of the aortic arch. An instrument to be used in performing the valve procedure is configured to be percutaneously introduced into a femoral artery, advanced through the descending aorta and into the aortic arch, and moved into sliding contact with the lubricous inferior surface of the track. The instrument is advanceable along the lubricious surface until its distal portion is at a target site for the aortic valve procedure.

A device for sealing a puncture opening may include a base frame having a delivery configuration wherein the base frame is retracted to have a relatively smaller overall profile, and a deployed configuration wherein the base frame is extended to have a relatively larger overall profile. The base frame is sized to engage an interior surface of the blood vessel wall in the deployed configuration. A sealing section is coupled to the base frame, the sealing section having an initial configuration wherein the sealing section permits fluid flow, and a barrier configuration wherein the sealing section prevents fluid flow. The sealing section in the barrier configuration is sized to block fluid flow through the puncture opening when the base frame is in the deployed configuration.

Implant devices for filtering blood flowing through the ostium of an atrial appendage have component structures one or more of which are expandable. Devices with component structures in their unexpanded state have a compact size suitable for intra-cutaneous delivery to an atrial appendage situs. The expandable component structures are expanded in situ to deploy the devices. A device may have sufficiently short axial length so that most or almost all of the device length may fit within the ostium region.

In certain embodiments, a device is configured to be compressed and inserted into the distal end of an endoscope. The delivery device can be configured to deliver the delivery catheter to the site of one or more fistulas in the wall of a body cavity or lumen within a patient. The delivery catheter is configured to deliver the device to the site of the one or more fistulas. The device is configured to expand at the site of the one or more fistulas and substantially seal the fistula in one or more directions. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the device is coated with and/or constructed of biocompatible material. In some configurations, the device is configured to be implanted for an extended period of time or even permanently. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the device is constructed of biodegradable, dissolvable and/or bioabsorbable material.

Delivery systems for liquid embolics and methods of using them are disclosed. The devices generally include a catheter and one or more retention elements to limit migration of the liquid embolic to non-target sites.

A method of treating a uterine abnormality of a patient includes: providing an endoscope having a working channel; inflating a uterine cavity with a fluid; delivering a biocompatible plug into an ostium of a fallopian tube of the patient, wherein the biocompatible plug is substantially cylindrical in form and configured to be radially expandable, wherein the biocompatible plug is configured to expand in the ostium of the fallopian tube to seal the fallopian tube from the uterine cavity; delivering a resection device through the working channel; and resecting the uterine abnormality.