An RF catheter for treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy includes: a body part constituting a catheter body made of a flexible and soft material; and an intraseptal insertion part provided at a distal part of the body part and having one or more electrodes, a tapered tip gradually becoming thinner toward an end thereof, and a guidewire lumen therein, into which a guidewire is inserted, so that during hypertrophic cardiomyopathy treatment, the intraseptal insertion part is inserted into the interventricular septum along the guidewire. A method of treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy by using an RF ablation catheter includes: i) positioning the guidewire to a hypertrophied septum through a coronary sinus and a septal vein; ii) transferring the RF ablation catheter to the hypertrophied septum; and iii) performing RF ablation by applying RF energy to the electrodes provided at an end part of the RF ablation catheter by using an RF generator.

An apparatus is disclosed for a biofunctional molecular imprint apparatus comprising a supportive structure that cuts, punctures, retains, repairs, protects, interrogates, and/or supports the function of a body tissue or other substance; a surface material that receives and retains a molecular imprint and that is positioned to contact the body tissue or other substance during use; and a molecular imprint of a bioactive molecule that influences blood coagulation, tissue damage, pain, immune response, inflammation, infection, healing, tissue regeneration, cell adhesion, the formation of extracellular matrix, tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, bacterial growth, and/or side effects.

Described is a low voltage, pulsed electrical stimulation device for controlling expression of, for example, follistatin, a muscle formation promotion protein, by tissues. Epicardial stimulation is especially useful for heart treatment. Follistatin controlled release is also useful for treating other ailments, such as erectile dysfunction, aortic aneurysm, and failing heart valves.

A valve prosthesis system is provided, which includes a prosthetic aortic valve and a non-implantable unit. The prosthetic aortic valve which includes a plurality of prosthetic leaflets; a frame; a cathode and an anode, which are mechanically coupled to the frame; and a prosthetic-valve coil, which is in non-wireless electrical communication with the cathode and the anode. The non-implantable unit includes an energy-transmission coil; and non-implantable control circuitry, which is configured to drive the cathode and the anode to apply a pacing signal and to set parameters of the pacing signal, by wirelessly transferring energy from the energy-transmission coil to the prosthetic-valve coil by inductive coupling. Other embodiments are also described.

A biostimulator, such as a leadless cardiac pacemaker, including an electrical feedthrough assembly mounted on a housing, is described. An electronics compartment of the housing can contain an electronics assembly to generate a pacing impulse, and the electrical feedthrough assembly can include an electrode tip to deliver the pacing impulse to a target tissue. A monolithically formed electrode body can have a pin integrated with a cup. The pin can be electrically connected to the electronics assembly, and the cup can be electrically connected to the electrode tip. Accordingly, the biostimulator can transmit the pacing impulse through the monolithic pin and cup to the target tissue. The cup can hold a filler having a therapeutic agent for delivery to the target tissue and may include retention elements for maintaining the filler at a predetermined location within the cup.

High purity lithium and associated products are provided. In a general embodiment, the present disclosure provides a lithium metal product in which the lithium metal is obtained using a selective lithium ion conducting layer. The selective lithium ion conducting layer includes an active metal ion conducting glass or glass ceramic that conducts only lithium ions. The present lithium metal products produced using a selective lithium ion conducting layer advantageously provide for improved lithium purity when compared to commercial lithium metal. Pursuant to the present disclosure, lithium metal having a purity of at least 99.96 weight percent on a metals basis can be obtained.

An example of a system and method for protecting a patient diagnosed of cancer from cardiac injury resulting from a chemotherapy treating the cancer. A sequence of cardioprotective pacing sessions may be initiated based on timing of the chemotherapy. Cardiac pacing pulses may be delivered to the patient during each session of the cardioprotective pacing sessions according to a cardioprotective pacing mode for controlling delivery of the cardiac pacing pulses to effect cardioprotection against potential myocardial injury resulting from the chemotherapy. The cardioprotective pacing mode may specifying alternating non-pacing and pacing periods.

An atrioventricular prosthesis device is provided. The device includes a frame at least partially defining and enclosing a central cavity, the frame having a distal portion, a proximal portion, and a middle portion connected therebetween. The device further includes a valve construct formed, at least in part, from a cell growth scaffold, at least partially disposed within the central cavity defined by the frame. The valve construct includes: an annular portion defining an aperture and being connected to the frame for positioning the valve construct within the central cavity of the frame, and a plurality of leaflets extending longitudinally and radially inward from the annular portion. The frame and valve construct are transitionable to a deployed state, in which a diameter of at least a portion of the frame and the valve construct substantially conform to a diameter of a tricuspid and/or mitral valve opening.

Various embodiments provide an apparatus, system method for treating neurological conditions by delivering solid form medication to the ventricles or other areas of the brain. Particular embodiments provide an apparatus and method for treating epilepsy and other neurological conditions by delivering solid form medication to ventricles in the brain wherein the medication is contained in a diffusion chamber so as to allow the medication to dissolve in the cerebrospinal fluid of the brain and then diffuse out of the diffusion chamber to be delivered to the ventricles and brain tissue. In one or more embodiments, portions of apparatus have sufficient flexibility to conform to the shape of the ventricles of the brain when advanced into them and/or to not cause deformation of the ventricle sufficient to cause a significant physiologic effect.

A method and apparatus for detection of changes in impedance a patient that includes generating measured impedances, generating an adaptive baseline trend of the measured impedances corresponding to a first time period, generating a short term trend of the measured impedances corresponding to a second time period less than the first time period, determining changes in relative position of the short term trend and the baseline trend, the determined changes in relative position corresponding to determining intersecting of the baseline trend by the short term trend, determining differences between the baseline trend and calculated period average impedances, and accumulating, in response to determining no intersecting of the baseline trend by the short term trend, the determined differences between the baseline trend and the calculated period average impedances.