A steerable catheter may include an elongate shaft member and a braided reinforcement structure embedded into a wall of the elongate shaft member. The braided reinforcement structure may include a first braided portion including a first pick count, a second braided portion including a second pick count, and a third braided portion including a third pick count. The third pick count may be greater than each of the first pick count and the second pick count.

A system including a self-expanding prosthesis configured to foreshorten during deployment thereof and a delivery device configured to percutaneously deliver the self-expanding prosthesis. The delivery device includes a handle having an actuator thereon, an outer sheath including a proximal end coupled to the handle and a pusher shaft slidingly disposed within the outer sheath. The pusher shaft has a proximal end coupled to the handle and a distal end configured to releasably couple to the self-expanding prosthesis such that the self-expanding prosthesis axially moves therewith. The inner shaft has a distal portion of the inner shaft that is configured to receive a self-expanding prosthesis thereon. The outer sheath and the pusher shaft are configured to simultaneously move in opposing axial directions via actuation of the actuator on the handle to compensate for the foreshortening of the self-expanding prosthesis during deployment.

A surgical instrument includes a housing (20), a syringe carriage (40), a movable handle (25), a shaft (30), a needle sheath (50), and a needle (60). The syringe carriage is operably coupled to the housing and configured to couple to a syringe. The movable handle is movable relative to the housing and operably coupled to the syringe carriage to distally advance the syringe carriage. The shaft extends distally from the housing and defines a lumen. The needle sheath extends through the lumen of the shaft, defines a lumen, and is movable relative to the shaft between an extended condition and a retracted condition. The needle extends through the lumen of the needle sheath and is configured to operably couple to a syringe coupled to the syringe carriage.

A handle for a medical device includes a handle body and a knob that is rotatable with respect to the handle body. A first gear is associated with the knob. A slide assembly is housed within the handle body or the knob. The slide assembly includes a first lead screw. A second gear is associated with the slide assembly. A third gear is housed within the handle body or the knob and is coupled between the first gear and the second gear. Rotation of the knob drives rotation of the first gear, rotation of the first gear drives rotation of the third gear, rotation of the third gear drives rotation of the second gear, and rotation of the second gear drives rotation of the lead screw.

A medical device for insertion into a body may include a handle assembly including a handle body and a ball joint; a sensor assembly configured to electronically communicate with a magnet; a body extending longitudinally from the handle assembly; an articulation portion coupled to a distal end of the body, wherein the articulation portion includes a magnetic material; and an end effector coupled to a distal end of the articulation portion. The articulation portion may be configured to move upon application of a magnetic field from the magnet.

A biostimulator delivery system having a tether cable, is described. A connector can be mounted on the tether cable to connect to a biostimulator. The connector can be a protuberance that lodges within the biostimulator, or a threaded connector that screws into the biostimulator. The tether cable has a stranded cable configuration, including several strands extending about a core strand in a helical direction. The stranded cable structure resists breaking under bending stresses typically seen during a tether mode used during delivery of the biostimulator. The tether cable reliably secures the biostimulator to the delivery system in the tether mode. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

An introducer sheath assembly having a handle portion including a front end and a rear end, and a introducer sheath extending outwardly from the front end of the handle portion, the introducer sheath including a device lumen configured to slidably receive a corresponding device, a guidewire lumen configured to slidably receive a corresponding guidewire, a first steering cable lumen, a second steering cable lumen, a first steering cable disposed in the first steering cable lumen and a second steering cable disposed in the second steering cable lumen, wherein the first steering cable lumen, the second steering cable lumen and the guidewire lumen are disposed radially outwardly from the device lumen.

A guiding sheath has a braided layer for improved deflection characteristics and ring electrodes for electrical sensing, mapping and visualization, wherein lead wires for the ring electrodes are passed through lumened tubing position under the braided layer in a proximal portion of the guiding sheath shaft and above the braided layer in a distal portion of the guiding sheath shaft. Moreover, the hemostatic valve includes an improved friction ring with air vents to reduce the risk of air being introduced into the valve.

A coaxial multilumen annulus plane catheter, including an outer pigtail catheter enclosing one or two additional lumens, each housing either a slidable shaped wire or a second pigtail catheter shaped to fit into a wide range of annulus diameters and/or depths. In embodiments, the device may include a catheter delivery handle with thumb/finger-actuated sliders that extend or retract the shaped wires and are sized to enable side-to-side or radial motion, imparting a torque to the pre-shaped wires which translates the length of the wires to enable individually controlled rotation or sweep of each wire to accommodate different annulus diameters. The delivery handle includes hemostasis controls and flush ports. In other embodiments, a handle is obviated by direct lumen axial and rotational control at a proximal end.

A movable shaft includes a tubular member. The tubular member has a proximal end and a distal end in a longitudinal direction of the tubular member. The tubular member has a bent portion extending along the longitudinal direction and allowed to be bent. Flexibility of the bent portion increases from a side of the proximal end to a side of the distal end.