An orthopedic brace for preventing injury to a wearer including a body having a series of liquid filled regions, the body having a first more flexible state wherein the liquid filled regions contain a liquid material and a second more rigid state wherein the liquid within the regions is hardened to a second harder state, the body transformable from the first state to the second state upon receiving a force which exceeds a predetermined value. A chemical reaction or an isothermal process can cause the phase change.

A penile prosthesis includes a first penile implant implantable into a first corpora cavernosum and a second penile implant implantable into a second corpora cavernosum, and a pump assembly coupled to the implants by tubing. Each implant includes a tubular film sealed in a liquid-tight arrangement between a proximal tip implantable into a crus penis and a distal tip implantable into a glans penis, a scaffold nested inside of the tubular film, and a first liquid volume contained inside of the tubular film.

Disclosed are methods, devices and materials for the in situ formation of a nerve cap and/or a nerve wrap to inhibit neuroma formation following planned or traumatic nerve injury. The method includes the steps of identifying a severed end of a nerve, and positioning the severed end into a cavity defined by a form. A transformable media is introduced into the form cavity to surround the severed end. The media is permitted to undergo a transformation from a first, relatively flowable state to a second, relatively non flowable state to form a protective barrier surrounding the severed end. The media may be a hydrogel, and the transformation may produce a synthetic crosslinked hydrogel protective barrier. The media may include at least one anti-regeneration agent to inhibit nerve regrowth.

Disclosed are methods, devices and materials for the in situ formation of a nerve cap to inhibit neuroma formation following planned or traumatic nerve injury. The method includes the steps of identifying a severed end of a nerve, and positioning the severed end into a cavity defined by a form. A transformable media is introduced into the form cavity to surround the severed end. The media is permitted to undergo a transformation from a first, relatively flowable state to a second, relatively non flowable state to form a protective barrier surrounding the severed end. The media may be a hydrogel, and the transformation may produce a synthetic crosslinked hydrogel protective barrier. The media may include at least one anti-regeneration agent to inhibit nerve regrowth.

A method is provided, including, delivering into a heart of a patient an annuloplasty ring structure including a body portion and an adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a size of the body portion of the annuloplasty ring structure, the adjusting mechanism including a housing, and following the delivering, moving the housing with respect to the body portion. Other applications are also described.

In a method of making a breast prosthesis for use by a wearer having a body temperature, a plurality of dissolvable beads is placed into an open back of a breast-shaped mold. The open back of the mold is sealed. A suspension of an uncured silicone rubber liquid and a plurality of phase change material pellets is injected into the mold around the beads. The uncured silicone rubber is allowed to cure, thereby forming a breast shape. The phase change material has a latent heat of fusion at a melting point so as to remove heat from the wearer when the body temperature is at least at the melting point. The breast shape is removed from the mold and the dissolvable beads are dissolved from the breast shape.

An endograft composed of an active textile material that can intrinsically change shape once placed inside the body after activation of the active textile material. The shape change can allow for the creation of exclusive channels between the endograft and tubular/hollow organs in the body or between other endografts. The shape change can also lead to the creation of the endograft inside the body.

Example medical stents are disclosed. An example stent includes a tubular framework including an inner surface, an outer surface and a lumen extending therethrough. Additionally, the stent includes a tissue ingrowth scaffold extending along a portion of the outer surface of the tubular framework, wherein the tissue ingrowth scaffold is spaced radially away from the outer surface of the tubular framework to define an expansion cavity therebetween and wherein the tissue ingrowth scaffold permits tissue ingrowth along a portion thereof. Further, the stent includes an expandable member positioned within at least a portion of the expansion cavity.

In a method of making a breast prosthesis for use by a wearer having a body temperature, a plurality of dissolvable beads is placed into an open back of a breast-shaped mold. The open back of the mold is sealed. A suspension of an uncured silicone rubber liquid and a plurality of phase change material pellets is injected into the mold around the beads. The uncured silicone rubber is allowed to cure, thereby forming a breast shape. The phase change material has a latent heat of fusion at a melting point so as to remove heat from the wearer when the body temperature is at least at the melting point. The breast shape is removed from the mold and the dissolvable beads are dissolved from the breast shape.

Devices and methods for providing localized pressure to a region of a patient's heart to improve heart functioning. The devices include a cardiac jacket made of a flexible biocompatible material and at least one inflatable bladder disposed on an interior surface of the jacket. Inflation of the bladder causes the bladder to expand to exert localized pressure against a region of the heart. In some cases, a phase-change material is filled into the bladder as a liquid and the material solidifies at body temperature. In some cases, a positioning tool is used prior to the implantation of the jacket in order to determine effective positions for the inflatable bladder(s) to be located on the heart to improve heart functioning.