A catheter system for pressure wave and inertial impulse generation for intravascular lesion disruption includes a balloon coupled to an elongate shaft, and a first and second light guide disposed along the elongate shaft. The first and second light guides each include a diverting feature in optical communication with at least one light window to direct light to exit each light guide toward a side surface portion thereof and toward the balloon. A method includes expanding the balloon from a collapsed configuration to a first expanded configuration, and activating a light source in optical communication with each light guide to provide sub-millisecond pulses of light to the diverting features, thereby inducing plasma formation in a balloon fluid, causing rapid bubble formation, and imparting pressure waves upon the treatment site.

A guidewire may be configured for insertion into a heart of a patient during a procedure such as a transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure. The guidewire may include a proximal end and a distal end portion. The distal end portion may include (i) a leading section, (ii) a loop structure at a terminal distal end of the guidewire, and (iii) a transition section extending between the leading section and the loop structure. In the absence of applied forces, the leading section is not tangential to the loop structure. With such a configuration, the guidewire may avoid contact with the ventricular septum of the heart when the loop structure is seated within the left ventricle, which may mitigate potential interference with conduction pathways in the ventricular septum, which may in turn mitigate the need for a pacemaker.

A guide wire and a medical device are disclosed that have high workability, restrain erroneous puncture by a needle portion for puncture, and assure relative safety. A guide wire for guiding an elongated tubular body or dilator, and which is configured to be inserted in a living body. The guide wire includes a shaft portion, a puncture portion that is fixed to a distal portion of the shaft portion and that forms a hole in living body tissue, and a cover portion that is elastically deformable and that covers the puncture portion, in which when the cover portion is exposed from the elongated tubular body or dilator, the cover portion covers the puncture portion and the cover portion is bent.

Described herein are flexible implantable occluding devices that can, for example, navigate the tortuous vessels of the neurovasculature. The occluding devices can also conform to the shape of the tortuous vessels of the vasculature. In some embodiments, the occluding devices can direct blood flow within a vessel away from an aneurysm or limit blood flow to the aneurysm. Some embodiments describe methods and apparatus for adjusting, along a length of the device, the porosity of the occluding device. In some embodiments, the occluding devices allows adequate blood flow to be provided to adjacent structures such that those structures, whether they are branch vessels or oxygen-demanding tissues, are not deprived of the necessary blood flow.

A lead delivery apparatus and a method of delivering a medical lead to an anatomic target site. The method includes inserting a hydraulic plug into an internal delivery lumen of a delivery shaft, and coupling a medical lead to the hydraulic plug. Hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic plug through the delivery lumen, thereby moving the hydraulic plug toward an anatomic target site, and advancing the medical lead toward the target site.

A method of delivering a therapeutic agent to a nucleus pulposus of an intervertebral disc is provided. The method comprises inserting a delivery tool containing the therapeutic agent through an anterior portion, a lateral portion, or an anterolateral portion of an annulus fibrosus and into the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc; and delivering the therapeutic agent to the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc. Devices and kits are also provided.

There is described a pressure guidewire. It comprises a sensor housing and a sensor assembly embedded in the sensor housing and comprising a pressure sensor. There is a band to support the pressure sensor assembly, the band being embedded inside the sensor housing and fixed to the pressure sensor assembly for holding the pressure sensor inside the sensor housing.

Intravascular devices, systems, and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, side-loading electrical connectors for use with intravascular devices are provided. The side-loading electrical connector has at least one electrical contact configured to interface with an electrical connector of the intravascular device. A first connection piece of the side-loading electrical connector is movable relative to a second connection piece between an open position and a closed position, wherein in the open position an elongated opening is formed between the first and second connection pieces to facilitate insertion of the electrical connector between the first and second connection pieces in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the intravascular device and wherein in the closed position the at least one electrical contact is electrically coupled to the at least one electrical connector received between the first and second connection pieces.

An endoscopic biopsy instrument (1) is disclosed comprising a guide wire (2) arranged in a sheath (3), a drill device (5) arranged at a first end (4) of said guide wire (2), and an actuator (11) for actuating said drill device (5), said actuator being arranged at a second end (10) of said guide wire (2). The drill device (5) comprises an outer tube (6) and an inner cutting device (7). The inner cutting device (7) is slidable and rotatable inside said outer tube (6). The inner cutting device (7) has a helical cutting edge (8). An endoscope comprising such an endoscopic instrument (1) is also disclosed, as well as a method for taking a biopsy sample from a tissue of a subject.

A surgical system and method are used to position a guidewire within an anatomical passageway includes the guidewire, a dilator, a reference feature, and a marker. The guidewire has a guidewire body extending to a distal body end portion. The dilator is secured on the distal body end portion and configured to expand from a contracted state to an expanded state. The dilator in the contracted state is configured to pass through an isthmus of a Eustachian tube. The dilator in the expanded state is configured to dilate the Eustachian tube. The reference feature secured relative to the guidewire, and the marker is positioned on the guidewire a predetermined distance from the reference feature. Thereby, the marker is configured to indicate the predetermined distance to an operator for determining a depth of the reference feature in the anatomical passageway.