A system for treating a heart includes a catheter that is advanceable into a chamber of the heart and that is repositionable within the chamber between a septal wall and an external wall to enable penetration of the septal and external walls via a needle that is disposed within a lumen of the catheter. A first guidewire is deliverable through the penetration of the septal wall so that a distal end of the first guidewire is disposed within another chamber of the heart. A second guidewire is deliverable through the penetration of the external wall so that a distal end of the second guidewire is disposed externally of the external wall. The first guidewire is connectable to the second guidewire to join or form a path within the chamber that extends between the septal wall and the external wall.

A medical device is disclosed, which is capable of treating cardiac insufficiency, on a causal therapy basis. The medical device is a heart harness composed of a porous hollow structure. A method of treating a heart disease includes applying the medical device as above to a heart of a subject in need thereof.

A radially compressible cardiac gripper for at least mechanical stimulation of a heart. The cardiac gripper has two gripper arms, wherein at least one of the gripper arms comprises a flexible section configured for movement of the arm having the flexible section.

A heart size measuring tool includes a tubular body, a flexible measuring cord having length indicia, a measuring cord support mechanism movable between retracted and extended states with respect to the body, and an actuating mechanism to move the measuring cord support mechanism. When in the retracted state the measuring cord support mechanism is positioned within the tubular body with the measuring cord in a collapsed position. When the measuring cord support mechanism is in the extended state the measuring cord extends around a portion of a heart to be measured. A scale on the body can be used in connection with the indicia on the measurement cord to provide a reading of the heart size.

Devices and methods for providing localized pressure to a region of a patient's heart to improve heart functioning. The devices include a cardiac jacket made of a flexible biocompatible material and at least one inflatable bladder disposed on an interior surface of the jacket. Inflation of the bladder causes the bladder to expand to exert localized pressure against a region of the heart. In some cases, a phase-change material is filled into the bladder as a liquid and the material solidifies at body temperature. In some cases, a positioning tool is used prior to the implantation of the jacket in order to determine effective positions for the inflatable bladder(s) to be located on the heart to improve heart functioning.

A stable conductive myocardial patch with a negative Poisson's ratio structure is provided. The preparation method includes preparing a myocardial patch substrate with concave polygons as the structural units by weaving or knitting, and then a conductive coating is coated on the surface of the substrate. Alternatively, the yarns can be processed into conductive coated yarns first, and then used as the raw material to weave or knit a stable conductive myocardial patch with a negative Poisson's ratio structure. The prepared myocardial patch has a relative resistance change of less than 5% at 50% tensile strain. When the strain of the structural units is within 50%, the fabric exhibits a negative Poisson's ratio structure, which expands in the perpendicular direction of the tensile load. The fabric exhibits a negative Poisson's ratio effect and anisotropy of Young's modulus, which matches the mechanical behavior of natural myocardium.

The present invention provides a direct cardiac compression device for individualized support at different locations around the heart, the device comprising: a housing shaped to conform to the shape of the heart and to surround the heart; two or more active chambers positioned adjacent to the housing, wherein the two or more active comprise one or more right active chambers positioned on the right ventricle side of the heart and one or more left active chambers positioned on the left ventricle side of the heart, wherein the two or more active chambers are designed to conform to the shape of the heart, each active chamber comprising an inner membrane sealingly attached along its periphery to the housing and an active fluid individually supplied thereto; a right input connection in fluid communication with the one or more right active chambers to ingress the active fluid into each of the one or more right active chambers; a left input connection in fluid communication with the one or more left active chambers to ingress the active fluid into each of the one or more left active chambers, and a driver in fluid communication with each of the right input connection and the left input connection to individually and periodically ingress and egress the active fluid therefrom, wherein the active fluid individually inflates the one or more right active chambers and the one or more left active chambers to compress the heart.

The present teachings provide systems, devices, and methods for treating the heart and reducing valve regurgitation. A delivery catheter is used to advance a balloon to a treatment site outside the heart. The balloon includes a flexible outer layer encasing a primary cavity and a secondary cavity outside of the primary cavity. The secondary cavity contains a tissue-binding adhesive. While the balloon is at the treatment site, an injection medium is introduced into the primary cavity in a manner that inflates the balloon from a collapsed delivery profile into an inflated deployment profile, and squeezes the tissue-binding adhesive out of the secondary cavity. Other embodiments are also described.

A method for making a biocompatible three-dimensional object includes delivering, using a delivery system, a biocompatible fluid substance comprising a plurality of particles towards a support body having a matrix surface to obtain a coating layer of predetermined thickness configured for coating the matrix surface, generating a relative movement with at least three degrees of freedom between the support body and the delivery system, and removing from the support body any surplus particles of the biocompatible fluid substance to make uniform the predetermined thickness of the coating layer. The support body is coated with the biocompatible fluid substance to obtain a three-dimensional object having an object surface corresponding to the matrix surface.

An epicardial clip for reshaping the annulus of the mitral valve of a heart includes a curved member having an anterior segment configured to be positioned in the transverse sinus of the heart, a posterior segment configured to be positioned on the posterior side of the heart, such as on or inferior to the atrioventricular groove, and a lateral segment extending between the anterior segment and the posterior segment. The lateral segment includes a curve such that the first end of the member is positioned at or above the plane of the mitral valve and the second end of the member is positioned at or below the plane of the mitral valve.