Apparatus and Methods for fabricating apparatus having a hermetic seal to seal a portion of an apparatus, for example and without limitation, a portion having a MEMS sensor. One such method uses crimping devices to compress a seal in a cavity formed in a housing that includes a MEMS sensor attached to a stress isolator. Under such compression, the seal deforms to hermetically seal surfaces around the inside, outside and bottom of the stress isolator.

An aspiration system includes a pump and a control system in communication with the pump. The control system includes a microcontroller, an antenna configured to receive a signal, and a pump control board in communication with the microcontroller. The antenna is in communication with the microcontroller. Upon receiving the signal, the pump control board operates the pump to create negative pressure according to the signal.

A self-aligning swaging punch is provided for adjoining together a pin and a workpiece having a pinhole. The swaging punch comprises a shaft and a tip having an open-ended cavity. The shaft transfers an axial force from a press or hammer to the tip. The tip transfers the axial force from the shaft to a top surface of the workpiece near the pinhole. The tip may be spherical in shape for evenly deforming the workpiece near the upper edge of the pinhole. The open-ended cavity receives the pin therein and allows the pin to extend at least partially into the open-ended cavity while the tip contacts the workpiece. The open-ended cavity also ensures that the swaging punch is aligned with the pinhole and perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece when the pin is inserted into the pinhole such that the workpiece evenly deforms and presses against the pin.

Apparatus and Methods for fabricating apparatus having a hermetic seal to seal a portion of an apparatus, for example and without limitation, a portion having a MEMS sensor. One such method uses crimping devices to compress a seal in a cavity formed in a housing that includes a MEMS sensor attached to a stress isolator. Under such compression, the seal deforms to hermetically seal surfaces around the inside, outside and bottom of the stress isolator.

Methods for crimping a stent on an expandable member of a delivery catheter, and devices and methods for treating a bifurcation are disclosed. A method for crimping includes positioning a stent having a first portion and a second portion over the expandable member, and non-uniformly crimping the stent to the expandable member. The method can include routing an elongate shaft under the second portion of the stent and through the side hole so as to be routed external to the first portion. The stent second portion can be crimped so that the elongate shaft can be slidably disposed relative to the stent second portion prior to deployment of the stent.

Apparatus and Methods for fabricating apparatus having a hermetic seal to seal a portion of an apparatus, for example and without limitation, a portion having a MEMS sensor. One such method uses crimping devices to compress a seal in a cavity formed in a housing that includes a MEMS sensor attached to a stress isolator. Under such compression, the seal deforms to hermetically seal surfaces around the inside, outside and bottom of the stress isolator.

An assembly for collapsing a self-expanding prosthetic heart valve includes a compression member, a support member and a constricting member. The compression member has a tapered wall between its first open end and its second open end, the tapered wall defining an open space adapted to receive the valve. The support member has a base and a recess adapted to receive an end of the valve. The support member and the compression member are movable toward one another to compress the valve and push it through a relatively small aperture in the second open end of the compression member. The second end of the constricting member is sized to receive the compressed valve from the second open end of the compression member for loading into a delivery device.

A self-aligning swaging punch is provided for adjoining together a pin and a workpiece having a pinhole. The swaging punch comprises a shaft and a tip having an open-ended cavity. The shaft transfers an axial force from a press or hammer to the tip. The tip transfers the axial force from the shaft to a top surface of the workpiece near the pinhole. The tip may be spherical in shape for evenly deforming the workpiece near the upper edge of the pinhole. The open-ended cavity receives the pin therein and allows the pin to extend at least partially into the open-ended cavity while the tip contacts the workpiece. The open-ended cavity also ensures that the swaging punch is aligned with the pinhole and perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece when the pin is inserted into the pinhole such that the workpiece evenly deforms and presses against the pin.

A device for loading a prosthesis onto a delivery system includes a first housing having a central bore. One or more actuators on the first housing may be actuated radially inward to selectively compress a discrete portion of the prosthesis disposed in the central bore.

Vascular treatment devices and methods include a woven structure including a plurality of bulbs that may be self-expanding, a hypotube, for example including interspersed patterns of longitudinally spaced rows of kerfs, and a bonding zone between the woven structure and the hypotube. The woven structure may include patterns of radiopaque filaments measurable under x-ray. Structures may be heat treated to include various shapes at different temperatures. The woven structure may be deployable to implant in a vessel. A catheter may include a hypotube including interspersed patterns of longitudinally spaced rows of kerfs and optionally a balloon. Laser cutting systems may include fluid flow systems.