Adjustable flow glaucoma shunts are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, for example, an adjustable flow shunt can include an outflow drainage tube having a proximal inflow region and a distal outflow region. The proximal inflow region can include aperture(s) defining a fluid inlet area positioned to allow fluid to flow therethrough. The shunt further comprises an inflow control assembly at the proximal inflow region. The inflow control assembly can include a control element configured to slidably engage the proximal inflow region and a spring element. The spring element is configured to be activated by non-invasive energy and, upon activation, slidably move the control element along the proximal inflow region such that (a) the one or more apertures are accessible and have a first fluid flow cross-section or (b) the one or more apertures are at least partially covered by the control element and have a second, different fluid-flow cross-section.

The invention relates to a connecting structure of a stent and a valve leaflet for an interventional aortic valve or an interventional pulmonary valve, wherein the stent is a metal mesh tube, the valve leaflets are three fan-shaped valve leaflets arranged on the inner side of the stent, each of the three fan-shaped valve leaflets is provided with a free edge, an arc-shaped bottom edge and valve leaflet junction connecting parts extending on two sides, three connecting posts are uniformly distributed on the metal mesh tube, and the junction connecting parts on the two sides of each valve leaflet are folded on the inner side of each connecting post to form a cushioning portion, and then are connected and fixed to the connecting posts through sutures. The invention also provides an interventional pulmonary valve and interventional aortic valve applying the connecting structure. The connecting structure of the stent and the valve leaflets can avoid stress concentration when the valve leaflets are opened and closed and friction generated between the stent and the valve leaflets, so that hemodynamic effects similar to bioprosthetic valves and similar durability functions are realized.

Systems and devices for facilitating the flow of fluid between a first body region and a second body region are disclosed herein. The devices generally include a drainage and/or shunting element having a lumen extending therethrough for draining or otherwise shunting fluid between the first and second body regions. Further, devices configured in accordance with the present technology may be selectively adjustable to control the amount of fluid flowing between the first and second body regions. In some embodiments, for example, the devices comprise an actuation assembly that drives movement of a flow control element to modulate flow resistance through the lumen, thereby increasing or decreasing the relative drainage rate of fluid between the first body region and the second body region.

A prosthetic heart valve includes a stent extending in a longitudinal direction and having a collapsed condition and an expanded condition. The stent includes a plurality of struts forming cells and a plurality of commissure attachment features spaced apart in an annular direction of the stent and extending in a medial direction of the stent. A valve assembly is secured to the commissure attachment features, the valve assembly including a cuff and a plurality of leaflets, each of the leaflets having a free edge and being capable of alternating between an open position and a closed position. A method of manufacturing the prosthetic heart valve is also provided.

A prosthetic heart valve includes a valve frame defining an aperture that extends along a central axis and a flow control component mounted within the aperture. The valve frame includes a distal anchoring element and a proximal anchoring element. The valve frame has a compressed configuration to allow the valve to be delivered to a heart of a patient via a delivery catheter. The valve frame is configured to transition to an expanded configuration when released from the delivery catheter. The valve is configured to be seated in a native annulus when the valve frame is in the expanded configuration. The distal and proximal anchoring elements configured to be inserted through the native annulus prior to seating the valve. The proximal anchoring element is ready to be deployed subannularly or is optionally configured to be transitioned from a first configuration to a second configuration after the valve is seated.

A transcatheter valve assembly replacement device includes an improved paravalvular seal.

The disclosure relates to heart valve prostheses with the reduced need of pacemaker implantation and improved means for positioning the replacement heart valve. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the stent scaffold of the valve prosthesis includes axially extending locators. The locators may be positioned within the cusp of the native aortic valve. Placement of the locators within the cusps may prevent further proximal movement of the stent scaffold into the left ventricle. By adjusting the location of the proximal end of the locators with respect to the proximal end of the stent scaffold, infra-annular placement of the stent scaffold in the aortic annulus may be assured. In another aspect, means for visualizing the positioning of replacement heart valves at an implant site inside an individual's body is disclosed.

An annuloplasty ring including elastic features that make the ring optimal for receiving a subsequent prosthetic valve via a “Valve In Ring Procedure.” The elastic features provide a squeezing force on the native valve annulus that both ensures coaptation of the native valve leaflets and also prevents paravalvular leakage around a subsequently-placed prosthetic valve.

A method of delivering a collapsible prosthetic heart valve may include providing a delivery device having a catheter assembly and an operating handle. The catheter assembly may include a compartment adapted to receive the valve and a slidable distal sheath. The operating handle may include a housing and first and second lead screws each movable in first and second opposite longitudinal directions. The method may include loading the valve into the compartment and covering the compartment and the valve with proximal and distal segments of the distal sheath. The method may include inserting the catheter assembly into the patient, and partially deploying the valve by moving the first lead screw in the first longitudinal direction. The method may include fully deploying the valve by simultaneously continuing movement of the first lead screw in the first longitudinal direction and moving the second lead screw in the second longitudinal direction.

Urinary incontinence devices generally include a body configured to be inserted into a vagina. The body may have a proximal insertion portion, a plurality of legs coupled to and extending distally from the insertion portion, and a distal retrieval portion. The plurality of legs may each have a length, a width, and a distal end, and the distal ends of the plurality of legs may be coupled together. The body may have a compressed configuration, an expanded configuration, and a lateral cross-sectional diameter, and the lateral cross-sectional diameter of the body may be largest at the widest point of each of the plurality of legs. Methods of treating urinary incontinence may include loading a urinary incontinence device into an applicator, inserting the applicator into the vagina, advancing the incontinence device out of the applicator to position a distal end of the device past the pelvic floor, and removing the incontinence device from the vagina using the distal retrieval portion.