A breast implant system comprises at least one casing (3, 4) with a flexible outer shape for implantation in a patient's body so as to form part of a breast implant (10) and further comprises at least one first element (1) contained in the casing and optionally at least one second element (2) also contained in the casing. The first and second elements are either displaceable within the casing and/or their volume can be changed in order to change the shape and/or size of the breast implant. A reservoir (R) comprising a lubricating fluid is connected to the casing so as to allow lubricating fluid to be supplied to and removed from the casing in order to reduce surface friction between adjacent elements and/or between the casing and the elements before the shape of the breast implant is changed.

An implanted tongue pulling device including a pull plate, a pull line, a retractor and a method thereof are provided. The tongue pulling device is implanted in the mandible and tongue of a human body, respectively, for tightening the tongue dorsum and/or the tongue base for treating obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). At least three pull lines are used for positioning the pull plate, which is a flat object implanted beneath the tongue dorsum and/or the mucous membrane of the tongue base and includes through holes for the growth of tissues and pull line fixing mechanisms. The pull line includes a draw line and a sleeve. The retractor includes a casing, a control switch and a pull line fixing device mounted on the casing. A patient after surgery can adjust the tightening extent of the implanted tongue pulling device by pressing the skin outside the control switch, thereby preventing OSAHS.

Apparatus, including an enclosure, a fluid-tight bag located within the enclosure, and a fluid-tight valve connected to the fluid-tight bag. The apparatus also has a tube, having a first end connected to the fluid-tight bag via the fluid-tight valve, and a second end connected to a balloon within a breast implant fitted to an implantee. The apparatus further includes a spindle, located within the enclosure, connected to the fluid-tight bag, and configured to rotate under control of the implantee so as to roll the fluid-tight bag onto the spindle or to unroll the fluid-tight bag from the spindle, and thus transfer a fluid, contained in the balloon, the tube, and the fluid-tight bag, therebetween.

An orthopedic device includes a frame, a strap system including first and second straps connecting to the frame, and an adjustment mechanism couples to the first and second straps and simultaneously regulates tension in the first and second straps by moving the first and second straps relative to the frame. The strap system includes a length adjustment system for modifying the length of the strap.

A prosthetic system for implantation between upper and lower vertebrae comprises an upper joint component. The upper joint component comprises an upper contact surface and an upper articulation surface. The system further includes a lower joint component. The lower joint component comprises a lower contact surface and a lower articulation surface configured to movably engage the upper articulation surface to form an articulating joint. The articulating joint is adapted for implantation within a disc space between the upper and lower vertebrae, allowing the upper and lower vertebrae to move relative to one another. The system further includes a bridge component extending posteriorly from one of either the upper or lower joint components and from the disc space. The bridge component has a distal end opposite the one of the either upper or lower joint components. The distal end of the bridge component comprises a connection component adapted to receive a fastener.

Systems for mitral valve repair are disclosed where one or more mitral valve interventional devices may be advanced intravascularly into the heart of a patient and deployed upon or along the mitral valve to stabilize the valve leaflets. The interventional device may also facilitate the placement or anchoring of a prosthetic mitral valve implant. The interventional device may generally comprise a distal set of arms pivotably and/or rotating coupled to a proximal set of arms which are also pivotably and/or rotating coupled. The distal set of arms may be advanced past the catheter opening to a subannular position (e.g., below the mitral valve) and reconfigured from a low-profile delivery configuration to a deployed securement configuration. The proximal arm members may then be deployed such that the distal and proximal arm members may grip the leaflets between the two sets of arms to stabilize the leaflets.

A selective attenuating earplug is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a selective attenuating earplug includes a switch adjustable between a first position and a second position, and the switch includes at least one cantilever spring arm.

An apparatus for treating obesity of a patient having a stomach with a food cavity. The apparatus comprising a volume filling device adapted to be at least substantially invaginated by a stomach wall portion of the patient with the outer surface of the volume filling device resting against the stomach wall, such that the volume of the food cavity is reduced in size by a volume substantially exceeding the volume of the volume filling device. The apparatus further comprises at least one adjustable stretching device adapted to be at least substantially invaginated by a stomach wall portion of the patient with the outer surface of the stretching device resting against the stomach wall and adapted to stretch a portion of stomach wall, and a fluid connection device interconnecting the volume filling device and the stretching device.

A method for treating a native heart valve of a patient includes anchoring a plurality of anchors of an implant into tissue around an annulus of the valve. At the annulus, a force-distribution element is incorporated into the implant such that the force-distribution element extends along a longitudinal portion of the elongate contracting member. The method can also include circumferentially tightening the annulus by pulling the plurality of anchors closer together, such as by actuating a contracting mechanism of a contracting system, such that (i) the contracting mechanism, coupled to an elongate contracting member of the implant, applies a longitudinal tensioning force to the elongate contracting member, and (ii) the force-distributing element distributes the longitudinal tensioning force over at least two of the anchors. Other embodiments are also described.

Apparatus includes an implant including a flexible longitudinal member extending along a longitudinal length of the implant and a flexible contracting member extending alongside the longitudinal member and along the longitudinal length of the implant. The contracting member is configured to facilitate reduction of a perimeter of the implant by applying a contracting force to the longitudinal member in response to an application of force to the contracting member. The contracting member is disposed at a radially outer perimeter of the longitudinal member and configured to apply a pushing force to the longitudinal member responsively to the application of the force to the contracting member.