The device described in this document provides a method for easily converting a urinary catheter to one that will monitor pressure changes in the anchoring balloon allowing safe deflation if a patient intentionally or unintentionally pulls on the catheter with such force that would otherwise cause traumatic injury to the urethra. The device would sound an alarm in such cases of forced removal. The device would secondarily allow monitoring of insertion date, and intraabdominal pressures among other things due to the electronic storage, display, and communication capabilities.

The invention relates to a method for filling an inflatable catheter balloon of a device for transanally introducing an infusion into the rectum or colon of a patient by means of a filling device, wherein a fill volume or a filling pressure prevailing in the catheter balloon is until there occurs a gradual, user-controllable, pneumatically initiated expansion of portions of the bowel wall, thus triggering a coordinated defecation reflex, wherein the timing and intensity of the triggering stimulus can be determined to the greatest possible extent by the user.

The invention relates to a device for transanally introducing an infusion into the rectum or colon of a patient, said device comprising a catheter with a catheter shaft wherein, to ensure the most practicable catheter insertion possible, the catheter shaft is equipped in the proximal, preanal region with gripping depressions to accommodate the fingers gripping the catheter during insertion.

A dilation catheter system is provided to dilate the ostium of a paranasal sinus or some other anatomical passageway (e.g., within the ear, nose, or throat, etc.). The system may include a dilation catheter, a dilator, a guide catheter, and an inflator. The dilation catheter may be positioned between the dilator and the inflator. The guide catheter is configured to guide the dilator into the affected passageway. The inflator may then be actuated to transfer fluid from the inflator, through the dilation catheter, and into the dilator. The transfer of fluid may inflate the dilator to an expanded state to open or dilate the affected passageway. The inflator may include a body, a plunger assembly, and locking features that selectively secure the position of the plunger assembly relative to the body by moving along a path that is transverse to a longitudinal axis defined by the plunger assembly.

A balloon resection method is disclosed generally including inserting a catheter with at least one balloon having an outer wall with a resecting, non-slip surface for resecting unwanted biological material, such as tissues or tumors, and supplying fluid thereto in pulsed fashion to repeatedly deflate and inflate the balloon. In certain embodiments, a pump controls the pulsed supply of fluid based on an established frequency or change in volume. In some embodiments, the a keyed connector is used to identify the balloon type, and in some cases, intra-lumen diameters and densities are calculated. In some embodiments, the balloon portion of the catheter includes multiple balloon segments, which in some cases, are inflatable separately from one another.

A catheter assembly incorporating a pre-biased indicator, the assembly includes a catheter having a proximal end, a distal end, and catheter walls defining a catheter lumen. The assembly further includes a base located at the proximal end of the catheter, the base defining an opening to the catheter lumen, the base having a first end and a second end. An inflatable balloon having a predetermined fill volume is located at a distal end of the catheter. An inflation valve is located on the base; the inflation valve is in fluid communication with the balloon through an inflation lumen defined by the catheter walls. The pre-biased indicator located on the base in fluid communication with the balloon is configured to provide a discrete visual signal that the pressure of a fluid in the balloon is different from a predetermined level of pressure or the volume of the balloon is different from the predetermined fill volume.

The present disclosure relates to a leak detection system and method for tube or catheter placement. The system and method includes acoustically sensing a leak in the seal between a tube or catheter within a body and the body cavity against which it is sealed, assisting the user in adjusting the system until the leak has been substantially sealed, and establishing system parameters to be used thereafter to maintain the system in an operating state that will substantially prevent leakage, all using a noninvasive acoustic technique.

Systems and methods and devices are provided for arresting or reversing the effects of myocardial remodeling and degeneration after cardiac injury, without the potential drawbacks associated with previously existing systems and methods, by at least partially occluding flow through the superior vena cava over multiple cardiac cycles, and more preferably, by adjusting the interval or degree of occlusion responsive to a sensed level of patient activity. In some embodiments, a controller is provided that actuates a drive mechanism responsive to a sensed level of patient activity to provide at least partial occlusion of the patient's superior vena cava, while a data transfer circuit of the controller provides bi-directional transfer of physiologic data to the patient's smartphone or tablet to permit display and review of such data.

A balloon resection method is disclosed generally including inserting a catheter with at least one balloon having an outer wall with a resecting, non-slip surface for resecting unwanted biological material, such as tissues or tumors, and supplying fluid thereto in pulsed fashion to repeatedly deflate and inflate the balloon. In certain embodiments, a pump controls the pulsed supply of fluid based on an established frequency or change in volume. In some embodiments, the a keyed connector is used to identify the balloon type, and in some cases, intra-lumen diameters and densities are calculated. In some embodiments, the balloon portion of the catheter includes multiple balloon segments, which in some cases, are inflatable separately from one another.

A medical apparatus, used to acquire electrical activity of patient anatomy, is provided which includes an elongated body and a tip portion coupled to the elongated body. The tip portion includes one or more inflatable sections. Each inflatable section has a plurality of electrodes disposed on one of: (i) an outer surface of the one or more inflatable sections; and (ii) an inner surface and the outer surface of the one or more inflatable sections. The one or more inflatable sections, when inflated, cause a portion of the plurality of electrodes to contact a surface of an organ and provide a pathway for physiological fluid to flow through the tip portion. In one embodiment, the tip portion is a tulip balloon tip portion. In another embodiment, the tip portion is an inflatable tip portion having one or more concentrically wound inflatable sections.