There is provided a treatment method that is capable of reducing burden on a patient when a medical sheet is indwelled in the body of the patient. A treatment method includes an introduction of introducing a catheter, which has stored a medical sheet (e.g., a myocardial cell sheet), to a heart inside a living body, and an indwelling step of drawing the myocardial cell sheet from the catheter and indwelling the myocardial cell sheet in the heart.

A system for treating a heart includes a catheter that is advanceable into a chamber of the heart and that is repositionable within the chamber between a septal wall and an external wall to enable penetration of the septal and external walls via a needle that is disposed within a lumen of the catheter. A first guidewire is deliverable through the penetration of the septal wall so that a distal end of the first guidewire is disposed within another chamber of the heart. A second guidewire is deliverable through the penetration of the external wall so that a distal end of the second guidewire is disposed externally of the external wall. The first guidewire is connectable to the second guidewire to join or form a path within the chamber that extends between the septal wall and the external wall.

Methods and devices for implanting a ventricular assist device employ a coupler that engages an aperture formed in a heart wall and provides a conduit by which blood is pumped from the ventricle via the ventricular assist device. A method includes penetrating a distal end of a delivery device through a wall of a heart into a ventricle of the heart to form an aperture having a diameter in the wall. A coupler is deployed from the delivery device so that the coupler engages the aperture, expands the diameter of the aperture, and forms a conduit for a flow of blood from the ventricle. The delivery device is removed from the ventricle by retracting the delivery device through the conduit. The ventricular assist device is coupled to the coupler to receive the flow of blood from the ventricle and pump the flow of blood to assist circulation in the patient.

Devices and methods for providing localized pressure to a region of a patient's heart to improve heart functioning. The devices include a cardiac jacket made of a flexible biocompatible material and at least one inflatable bladder disposed on an interior surface of the jacket. Inflation of the bladder causes the bladder to expand to exert localized pressure against a region of the heart. In some cases, a phase-change material is filled into the bladder as a liquid and the material solidifies at body temperature. In some cases, a positioning tool is used prior to the implantation of the jacket in order to determine effective positions for the inflatable bladder(s) to be located on the heart to improve heart functioning.

The present teachings provide systems, devices, and methods for treating the heart and reducing valve regurgitation. A delivery catheter is used to advance a balloon to a treatment site outside the heart. The balloon includes a flexible outer layer encasing a primary cavity and a secondary cavity outside of the primary cavity. The secondary cavity contains a tissue-binding adhesive. While the balloon is at the treatment site, an injection medium is introduced into the primary cavity in a manner that inflates the balloon from a collapsed delivery profile into an inflated deployment profile, and squeezes the tissue-binding adhesive out of the secondary cavity. Other embodiments are also described.

A device for administration of substances onto an epicardial surface of a heart includes a frame structure for at least partially encircling a circumference of the heart which is able to assume shaping, positioning, guiding and stabilizing functions. The frame structure may be coupled to a heart-shaped sleeve. A substance carrier for accommodating the substances to be administered may be coupled to the device.

Device sand methods for improving cardiac function are provided. The device includes a dome structure having a top end with an engagement element disposed thereon. The dome structure is moveable from a first inside out configuration to a second deployed configuration, and the dome structure is biased in the second deployed configuration. The dome structure includes a plurality of anchor members disposed around a bottom open end of the dome structure.

Devices and methods for providing localized pressure to a region of a patient's heart to improve heart functioning, including: (a) a jacket made of a flexible biocompatible material, the jacket having an open top end that is received around the heart and a bottom portion that is received around the apex of the heart; and (b) at least one inflatable bladder disposed on an interior surface of the jacket, the inflatable bladder having an inelastic outer surface positioned adjacent to the jacket and an elastic inner surface such that inflation of the bladder causes the bladder to deform substantially inwardly to exert localized pressure against a region of the heart.

This document describes methods and devices for securing epicardial devices. For example, this document describes methods and devices for securing epicardial devices by passing a sheath into a pericardial space of a patient through a first percutaneous access site, passing a guidewire through the sheath into the pericardial space of the patient, passing the guidewire through a transverse sinus of the patient, passing a snare device into the pericardial space through a second percutaneous access site, and capturing a free end portion of the guidewire using the snare device.

A cardiac device for implantation proximate an exterior of a heart, the cardiac device including an inflatable bladder including an inner wall and an outer wall, wherein the inner wall itself is more expandable than the outer wall itself such that the inflatable bladder itself is configured to deform substantially inwardly to exert localized pressure against a region of the heart when the inflatable bladder is positioned adjacent the region of the heart and inflated.