A tool for use in loading a transcatheter valve prosthesis within a delivery catheter includes a body portion, a pivotable element and a biasing element. The body portion includes a central passageway extending form a proximal end to a distal end of the body portion. The central passageway is configured to receive a distal portion of a delivery catheter therethrough. The pivotable element is attached to the body portion and is configured to secure a tether during loading of a transcatheter valve prosthesis within the delivery catheter. The biasing element compresses the pivotable element against the body portion such that the pivotable element holds a second end against the delivery catheter and secures the tether thereto. The pivotable element may be two or more pivotable elements.

In some examples, a medical system including a stent configured to be positioned within a ureter of a patient. The stent includes one or more distal petals and/or one or more proximal petals resiliently biased to deploy radially outwards from a stent body. The stent may be configured to position the distal petals in a kidney of a patient and position the proximal petals in a bladder of the patient. The distal petals and/or proximal petals may be configured to resist a migration of the stent within the ureter. The stent may include suture configured to cause the distal petals and/or proximal petals to substantially to collapse for withdrawal of the stent. The medical system may include a sheath to retain the distal petals and/or proximal petals in a collapsed condition during, for example, implantation in the patient.

A method of delivering a prosthetic mitral valve includes delivering a distal anchor from a delivery sheath such that the distal anchor self-expands inside a first heart chamber on a first side of the mitral valve annulus, pulling proximally on the distal anchor such that the distal anchor self-aligns within the mitral valve annulus and the distal anchor rests against tissue of the ventricular heart chamber, and delivering a proximal anchor from the delivery sheath to a second heart chamber on a second side of the mitral valve annulus such that the proximal anchor self-expands and moves towards the distal anchor to rest against tissue of the second heart chamber. The self-expansion of the proximal anchor captures tissue of the mitral valve annulus therebetween.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to stents, valved-stents, and associated methods and systems for their delivery via minimally-invasive surgery.

A prosthesis retaining assembly for securing an implantable prosthesis to a catheter assembly can include a first member including a prosthesis retaining slot configured to retain a portion of the prosthesis. The retaining slot can have a first portion with a first width and a second portion with a second width. The first portion can be distal to the second portion. The second width can be larger than the first width, and the retaining slot can have an opening at a first surface of the first member. The prosthesis retaining assembly can also include a second member configured to be move relative to the first member. The second member can be configured to move to a position that obstructs a portion of the opening of the retaining slot.

A branched graft method includes securing a first end of a branch graft into a first conduit and subsequently moving the second end into a second conduit. The first conduit may be a branch vessel, such as a renal artery and the second conduit may be a main graft that extends over an aortic aneurysm. The branch graft may be deployed starting at an offset distance from the first end, thereby preventing the deployed portion from insertion into the first conduit and predetermining the insertion length into the target vessel. The first end may then be deployed to secure the first end to the first conduit. A branch graft may be a self-expanding stent graft having one or more ripcords, and/or a serpentine ripcord that enables non-linear deployment of the branch graft, or deployment that does not progress from one end to the opposing end.

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for compressing reversibly compressible endovascular devices for loading into delivery catheters prior to deployment in lumen of a vessel.

The present disclosure includes an endoprosthesis delivery system comprising an elongate member, such as a catheter, an endoprosthesis, and an end cap having one or more protrusions extending therefrom. The protrusions may assist in retraction of end cap into an outer sheath, such as an introducer sheath. In some examples, the protrusion includes fins. In some embodiments, the endoprosthesis delivery system further includes a covering member disposed about the endoprosthesis. The protrusions may support the covering member, which may extend beyond the distal end of the endoprosthesis and onto the end cap. In some embodiments, the end cap comprises a tapered profile, which may assist in retraction of the catheter tip and end cap into an outer sheath.

A deployment device for lining a vessel having a housing having a proximal end and a distal end opposite the proximal end, the housing defining a guidewire channel, a tube elongated along a longitudinal axis, the tube having a proximal end and a distal end spaced from the proximal end of the tube along the longitudinal axis, a sheath assembly having a hub removably coupled to the distal end of the housing, and a mesh removably coupled to the tube and positioned along the tube. The tube and the sheath assembly are configured to move along the guidewire and into the vessel through a puncture and release the mesh inside the vessel when at least one of the tube and the mesh is actuated. The device is used as a method of mitigating potential injury or harm to the integrity of the patient's vessel lining.

There is described an endovascular prosthesis delivery device. The subject endovascular prosthesis delivery device comprises a combination of a delivery frame element and a hub insert element that are secured to one another by a first retention element. At a distal portion of the delivery frame element, there is a prosthesis attachment zone for coupling to an endovascular prosthesis. When it is desired to deploy the endovascular prosthesis, the first retention element is broken in a manner to allow relative movement between the hub insert element and the delivery frame element. A pull wire assembly is secured with respect to the hub insert element and comprises a pull wire which is coupled to the endovascular prosthesis in the prosthesis attachment zone of the delivery frame element. Once the first retention element is broken by the physician (this is done when the endovascular prosthesis is in the correct position for deployment), the physician can then retract the hub insert which has the effect of retracting pull wire from the prosthesis attachment zone of the delivery frame element. The endovascular prosthesis and the endovascular prosthesis delivery device are now detached from one another and the latter may be withdrawn from the patient.