A method of preparing an interpositional implant suitable for a knee. The method includes determining a three-dimensional shape of a tibial surface of the knee. An implant is produced having a superior surface and an inferior surface, with the superior surface adapted to be positioned against a femoral condyle of the knee, and the inferior surface adapted to be positioned upon the tibial surface of the knee. The inferior surface conforms to the three-dimensional shape of the tibial surface. The implant may be inserted into the knee without making surgical cuts on the tibial surface. The tibial surface may include cartilage, or cartilage and bone.

Prosthetic heart valves described herein can be deployed using a transcatheter delivery system and technique to interface and anchor in cooperation with the anatomical structures of a native heart valve. Some embodiments of prosthetic valves described herein include an anchor portion that couples to the anatomy near a native valve, and a valve portion that is mateable with the anchor portion. In some such embodiments, the anchor portion and/or the deployment system includes one or more prosthetic elements that temporarily augment or replace the sealing function of the native valve leaflets.

A kit of stents and an adjustable multi-lumen stent for adjustable interventional reduction of blood flow in a blood vessel. The kit includes: a first reduction stent having in an expanded conformation at least one widened section and a narrowed section, the narrowed section defining a central lumen providing reduced fluid communication between an upstream end and a downstream end of the first reduction stent; at least one expandable dilatation stent having a tubular form insertable into and expandable in the central lumen of the first reduction stent to define an enlarged central lumen; at least one second reduction stent having a narrowed tubular section insertable into the central lumen of the first reduction stent or the central lumen of the dilatation stent to define an reduced central lumen, and having an anchoring element at its upstream end.

A self-expandable stent delivery system is disclosed, which is configured to be capable of moving a pull wire toward a distal side and toward a proximal side to achieve a further improvement of the operability. The self-expandable stent delivery system includes an operation unit having a holding portion that holds pull wires so that the pull wires are movable toward the distal side and toward the proximal side, and a switching portion configured to be capable of switching between limitation of movement of the pull wires held by the holding portion toward the distal side and release of the limitation.

A stent includes a cylindrical main body portion, a linkage portion, and a marker attachment portion. The main body portion extends in an axial direction. The linkage portion extends from an end of the main body portion in the axial direction. The marker attachment portion is linked to the main body portion through the linkage portion. The linkage portion includes a bent portion tilting the marker attachment portion outward in a radial direction of the main body portion.

Embodiments of a crimping device for crimping a radially expandable and compressible prosthetic valve are disclosed. A crimping device can comprise a housing configured to receive a prosthetic valve in a radially expanded state. The housing member can include a funnel segment and an outlet in communication with the funnel segment. The crimping device can further comprise an actuator rotatably coupled to the housing, wherein rotation of the actuator relative to the housing causes the prosthetic valve to move axially through the funnel segment such that at least a portion of the prosthetic valve compresses radially by engagement with the funnel segment and exits the crimping device via the outlet.

A tissue gripper (60), includes a connecting frame (62) and two gripping arms (64). The connecting frame (62) includes two spaced connecting pieces (623), and the two gripping arms (64) are respectively arranged at sides of the two connecting pieces (623). Each gripping arm (64) includes a bending section (641) connected to the corresponding connecting piece (623) and a gripping section (643) connected to the bending section (641). The width of the bending section (641) is less than the width of the gripping section (643) and the width of the connecting piece (623), such that the weight of a valve clamping device (100) can be reduced, and the pulling force to pull the two gripping arms (64) up to a central axis can also be reduced. Also provided is the valve clamping device (100) provided with the tissue gripper (60).

An aortic graft device (10) is provided with a graft portion (12) integrally fixed to a corrugated trunk portion (14). A fixing ring (16) is provided between the graft and trunk portions. The trunk portion (14) can be averted into the graft portion, leaving the fixing ring (16) at an extremity of the device for suturing purposes. The fixing ring (16) is preferably made from a relatively stiff material such as a compressed foam or rubber like material, which provides a relatively solid component for a surgeon to hold during suturing and which can provide a strong support for sutures.

A method of a forming a hollow, drug-eluting nitinol stent includes shaping a composite wire into a stent pattern, wherein the composite wire includes an inner member, a nitinol intermediate member, and an outer member. After the composite wire is shaped into the stent pattern, the composite wire is heat treated to set the nitinol intermediate member in the stent pattern. After heat treatment, the composite wire is processed to remove the outer member and the inner member without adversely affecting the intermediate member. Openings may be provided through the intermediate member and the lumen of the intermediate member may be filled with a substance to be eluted through the openings.

A stent (scaffold) or other luminal prosthesis comprising circumferential structural elements which provide high strength after deployment and allows for scaffold to uncage, and/or allow for scaffold or luminal expansion thereafter. The circumferential scaffold is typically formed from non-degradable material and will be modified to expand and/or uncage after deployment.