Provided is a flexible stent with which it is possible to further improve visibility of an impermeable member which is disposed upon a stent and to further improve operability of the stent. Provided is a flexible stent 11, comprising: a plurality of ring-shaped pattern bodies 13 which have a wavy line-shaped pattern and are positioned side by side in an axial direction LD; and a plurality of connecting elements 15 which connect the adjacent ring-shaped pattern bodies 13. When viewed in a radial direction RD which is perpendicular to the axial direction LD, a ring direction CD of the ring-shaped pattern bodies 13 is or is not oblique with respect to the radial direction RD. A plurality of impermeable members 31 which are highly impermeable to radiation are disposed upon and/or positioned in proximity to struts which configure the ring-shaped pattern bodies 13 and/or the connecting elements 15. The plurality of impermeable members 31 are arrayed regularly along one or more of the ring direction CD, an axial direction LD, or a circumference direction of the flexible stent.

The invention provides implantable devices and membranes suitable for implantation in a body lumen, as well as methods and processes for their preparation.

Described herein are implant loading and delivery systems for treating heart failure. An implant loading system may include a funnel having a flared first end and a second end, such that the flared first end is configured for receiving and collapsing the expandable implant, and a sleeve removably coupled to the second end of the funnel and configured to transfer the expandable implant to a guide catheter. The expandable device may have a foot for contacting a first interior wall portion of a heart, a support frame including a plurality of radially expandable struts, and a membrane coupled to the support frame. The expandable device may be coupled to a delivery catheter. An expansion member coupled to a distal end of the delivery catheter may apply pressure to the support frame of the expandable device to move the expandable device from a collapsed configuration to an expanded deployed configuration.

A cannula cut spiral flow inducing stent includes a plurality of spiral inducing flow diverters that each include a piece of sheet metal with a helically shaped flow surface. A proximal stent region, which includes a plurality of first struts, is joined to a proximal end of each of the spiral inducing flow diverters. A distal stent region, which includes a plurality of second struts, is joined to a distal end of each of the spiral inducing flow diverters. All of the first struts and all of the second struts share a cannula thickness, but the shaped pieces of sheet metal may have a lesser thickness.

Techniques and systems for distracting a spinal disc space and supporting adjacent vertebrae are provided. Trial instruments are insertable into the disc space to determine a desired disc space height and to select a corresponding implant. Implants can be also be self-distracting and the implant providing the desired disc space height can be implanted in the spinal disc space.

An implantable ventricular assist device comprises an intraventricular stent used for the creation of an artificial chamber inside the ventricle, a balloon-like structure used to drive the change of the artificial chamber between a contractile configuration and a diastolic configuration, a power system used for driving the change of the balloon-like structure between the contractile configuration and the diastolic configuration. There is also a power system and a mechanical design to operate the system working, wherein in the contractile configuration, the balloon-like structure expands and occupies the space of the artificial chamber and drives the blood inside the artificial chamber flow outside the artificial chamber, wherein in the diastolic configuration, the balloon-like structure shrinks and releases the space inside the artificial chamber, and the blood outside the artificial chamber flows back into the artificial chamber. It is easy to reach the goal of cardiac function.

This invention relates to the design and function of a compressible valve replacement prosthesis, collared or uncollared, which can be deployed into a beating heart without extracorporeal circulation using a transcatheter delivery system. The design as discussed focuses on the deployment of a device via a minimally invasive fashion and by way of example considers a minimally invasive surgical procedure preferably utilizing the intercostal or subxyphoid space for valve introduction. In order to accomplish this, the valve is formed in such a manner that it can be compressed to fit within a delivery system and secondarily ejected from the delivery system into the annulus of a target valve such as a mitral valve or tricuspid valve.

A medical device for treating a heart valve insufficiency, with an endoprosthesis which can be introduced into a patient's body and expanded to secure a heart valve prosthesis in the patient's aorta. In an embodiment, the endoprosthesis has a plurality of positioning arches configured to be positioned with respect to a patient's aorta and a plurality of retaining arches to support a heart valve prosthesis. The endoprosthesis includes a first collapsed mode during the process of introducing it into the patient's body and a second expanded mode when it, is implanted.

A method of preventing paravalvular leakage includes concurrent delivery of a heart valve prosthesis and an annular sealing component. During delivery, the sealing component is moved from a first position to a second position of the heart valve prosthesis which is longitudinally spaced apart from the first position of the heart valve prosthesis. The sealing component is secured around the heart valve prosthesis at the second position by a contoured outer surface of the heart valve prosthesis. The sealing component may be a flexible ring or may be a cylindrical flexible sleeve having a plurality of ribs longitudinally extending over the cylindrical sleeve. The ribs operate to deploy the sealing component such that at least a portion of the cylindrical sleeve buckles outwardly away from the outer surface of the heart valve prosthesis.

This disclosure relates to a catheter system for introducing a heart valve stent into the body of a patient. The catheter system includes a catheter tip having a seat portion for accommodating the stent in its collapsed state and a stent holder for releasably fixing the stent, wherein the seat portion is constituted by a first sleeve and a second sleeve, said sleeves being moveable relative to each other and relative to the stent holder, and a catheter shaft for connecting the catheter tip to a handle.