Self-rolling mechanical atherectomy aka thrombectomy apparatuses for removing a clot from a vessel include a tractor tube portion that rolls and inverts over itself in a continuous motion, tractor-like, to draw material into the tractor tube, wherein the tractor tube rolls over itself without requiring any additional internal support at the distal-facing region of the tractor tube.

A surgical access device includes a cannula, an instrument housing coupled to the cannula, a port coupled to the instrument housing, and a valve disposed within the port. The cannula includes an elongated shaft defining an access lumen and an inflation lumen therethrough. The port includes an inflation channel and an insufflation channel defined therethrough. The inflation channel is in fluid communication with the inflation lumen of the cannula and the insufflation channel is in fluid communication with the access lumen of the cannula. The valve is movable within the port between an inflation position in which a passageway defined through the valve is aligned with the inflation channel of the port, and an insufflation position in which the passageway of the valve is aligned with the insufflation channel of the port.

A method for implanting a replacement heart valve within a diseased valve includes accessing a patient's heart by piercing a myocardium, advancing a guidewire into the patient's heart, and installing an access device in a wall of the heart. The access device preferably has at least one valve mechanism. A valve delivery device is advanced over the guidewire and through the access device. The valve delivery device has a replacement heart valve disposed along a distal end portion thereof. The replacement heart valve preferably includes an outer support structure and a leaflet valve disposed within the outer support structure. The replacement heart valve is radially expanded within the diseased valve. During implantation, the outer support structure conforms to a diameter of the diseased valve and the leaflet valve expands to a fixed size having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the diseased valve.

A connecting device is provided for connecting a pipe or tube-shaped element to the heart or a blood vessel of a patient, comprising a suture ring that has an opening, which can be closed by means of a closure element and through which said pipe or tube-shaped element is guided in the axial direction. The closure element is secured to the suture ring by means of at least one elastic securing element. A radially-expandable sealing element can also be provided in order to establish a sealing placement of the closure element against the suture ring.

A system and/or method for detecting a ferromagnetic object during surgery comprises a probe tip magnetoresistance device configured for insertion into a human or animal cavity and a probe base magnetoresistance device configured for remaining outside the cavity. The system and method detect the ferromagnetic object by comparing the electrical signals generated by the probe tip and the probe base magnetoresistance devices in response to the ambient magnetic field without generating a magnetic field to detect the ferromagnetic object.

A cannula system and method for accessing a blood mass in the brain. The system comprises a cannula with a camera mounted on the proximal end of the cannula with a view into the cannula lumen and the surgical field below the lumen. A prism, reflector or other suitable optical element is oriented between the camera and the lumen of the cannula to afford the camera a view into the cannula while minimizing obstruction of the lumen. The system may also include an obturator with a small diameter shaft and a large diameter tip which is optically transmissive, so that a surgeon inserting or manipulating the assembly can easily see that the obturator tip is near brain tissue (which is white) or blood (which is red).

A pericardial puncture device includes an introducer, a needle, and an actuator. The introducer has a lumen and extends between an introducer proximal portion defining an introducer proximal end and an introducer distal portion defining an introducer distal end. The needle is received in the lumen and extends between a needle proximal portion and a needle distal portion having a sharp distal tip. The needle is movable from a retracted configuration to an advanced configuration. In the retracted configuration, the sharp distal tip is within the lumen and shy of the introducer distal end. In the advanced configuration, the sharp distal tip outside of the lumen and proud of the introducer distal end. The actuator includes a handle that is rotatable in a first direction with respect to the introducer to drive movement of the needle from the retracted configuration towards the advanced configuration.

Tissue puncture devices, and systems and methods for accessing tissue (e.g., cardiovascular tissue) according to the present disclosure may include a tubular sheath extending along a longitudinal axis, the tubular sheath having a proximal end and a distal end, a needle disposed coaxially in the sheath, the needle having a proximal end and a distal end and being movable along the longitudinal axis of sheath, and a needle control mechanism disposed at the proximal end of the needle, the needle control mechanism being configured to lock the distal end of the needle in a first position retracted within the distal end of the sheath, and release the needle to an unlocked second position such that the distal end of the needle is extendable beyond the distal end of the sheath.

Various systems, devices and methods associated with the placement of a dock or anchor for a prosthetic valve. The anchor can take the form of an anchor having multiple coils. The distal end portion of the anchor can be spaced radially outwardly from the next adjacent coil to help direct the anchor around native leaflets of a native valve. Various methods include different procedures for delivering the anchor and prosthetic valve.

A method and system of providing therapy to a patient's uterus. The system has an access tool with a lumen, the access tool being adapted to be inserted through a human cervical canal to place an opening of the lumen within a uterus when the access tool is inserted through the cervical canal; a seal disposed at a distal region of the access tool and adapted to seal the access tool against an interior cervical os; a sealing indicator adapted to provide a user with an indication that the seal has sealed the access tool with the interior cervical os; and a vapor delivery mechanism adapted to deliver condensable vapor through the access tool to the uterus, the condensable vapor being adapted to condense within the uterus.