A method for introducing an elongate medical instrument with a shaped portion into the body of a subject includes at least partially straightening the shaped portion from an exterior of the elongate medical instrument. A retention element may then be introduced into an interior of the shaped portion to maintain the shaped portion in an at least partially straightened configuration as the external force is removed from the shaped portion. With the retention element in place, the shaped portion may be introduced to a desired location within a hollow interior of an internal organ. The retention element may then be removed to enable the shaped portion to return to its desired shape. A straightening apparatus includes the retention element, as well as an external element that at least partially straightens the shaped portion of the elongate medical instrument from the outside. A system includes the elongate medical instrument and the straightening apparatus.

Modular pre-loaded implant subassemblies that can be packaged separately from a handle, which allows using any one of a plurality of separately packaged modular pre-loaded implants with a common handle.

A package or container for a catheter having a catheter tube with a proximal end provided with a catheter outlet and a distal opening at a distal end thereof. A gel receptacle is provided with a cavity for holding an amount of a lubricating agent, and the catheter tube extends therethrough. The gel receptacle is configured such that as the catheter is withdrawn from a stored position therein, a leading tip of the catheter is immersed in the lubricating agent, thus automatically coating the leading tip. The gel receptacle may be held within a rigid body or may be a standalone item packaged in a sterile bag solely with the catheter. A side wall of the gel receptacle is deformable so that as the catheter is withdrawn proximally the side wall is collapsed inward to displace the lubricating agent gel and coat an exterior surface of the catheter tube.

The present invention provides a guide wire and catheter disk holder that carries coiled guide wires and catheters with easy insertion of coiled guide wires and catheters through a side cutout on the holder allowing the user’s hand to extend through the disk. The coiled guide wires and catheters are inserted substantially along a plane of the disk thus encouraging uncoiling and expanding of the wires and catheters into a longitudinal channel of the disk. The secured wire can be pulled out of the disk by holding and pulling the entire coiled wire, or by simply pulling the end of the wire while the rest of the wire is still secured inside the holder. Optionally, a spool may be inserted into the disk holder in order to wind up uncoiled wire and catheter within the disk holder.

A method of making a ready-to-use catheter assembly is provided, which can be immediately used by a patient. The ready-to-use catheter assembly ensures that the catheter does not suffer from a loss of quality during its shelf life and a wetting medium are provided. The method comprises: placing a catheter with an inactivated hydrophilic outer surface at least along its insertable length and a wetting medium in a catheter package; treating the catheter package with the catheter and the wetting medium with electro-magnetic and/or particle radiation while at least initially the hydrophilic outer surface at least along the insertable length of the catheter remains inactivated; and activating the hydrophilic outer surface at least along the insertable length of the catheter with the wetting medium during and/or after the radiation treatment and wherein the wetting medium decreases in viscosity when submitted to electro-magnetic and/or particle radiation.

Medical devices and methods are provided. In some aspects, devices useful for applying therapy locally within a body vessel are disclosed, the devices having a stent graft with flared end regions with a catheter providing fluid communication to the outer side of the narrower, intermediate region of the stent graft. Kits and systems including the same devices and methods are also disclosed.

A heart pump assembly, also referred to as catheter assembly, having a desired anatomical shape is provided. The catheter assembly can include a catheter and a cannula having a bend between a proximal portion and a distal portion. A resting shape of the catheter and the cannula can be selected to allow the distal cannula portion to be positioned at a desired angle relative to an anatomical plane (e.g., a plane of an aortic arch). In some embodiments, a packaging tray can be designed to set the catheter assembly in a desired resting shape. For example, the proximal cannula portion can be positioned at a first angle relative to the catheter, and the proximal cannula portion can be positioned at a second angle out of the plane of the packaging tray via one or more inserts.

Methods and apparatuses for removing material (e.g., clot) from within a body, including inverting thrombectomy apparatuses. These methods and apparatuses may include methods and apparatuses for reusing portion of the devices, method and apparatuses for loading and reloading the inverting thrombectomy apparatuses, and methods and apparatuses for improving and enhancing the ability of the inverting thrombectomy apparatuses to remove clot. In particular, described herein are expandable scraper devices that may be used in conjunction with the inverting thrombectomy apparatuses descried herein, or on their own.

A catheter delivery system package includes a tray, an extension tube coupled to the tray, an end cap sealing an end of the extension tube, and a lid coupled to the tray. The sealed rigid tray provides a highly robust sterile barrier, free of folds and abrasions. By eliminating compound folds, the possibility of failure of the catheter delivery system package is minimized. In addition, the catheter delivery system package has a reduced package volume. Further, the catheter delivery system package is 100% recyclable.

A catheter may include a tubular member having a lumen and an outer surface, a sleeve configured to be positioned in the lumen in a retracted configuration and to evert over at least a portion of the outer surface in an everted configuration, and a filament configured to retract the sleeve into the retracted configuration. The catheter may include an aperture proximal of a distal end, where the filament extends through the aperture from the lumen. A pull member may be on a distal end of the filament. The filament may be looped, coiled, and/or bunched in the catheter when the sleeve is in the retracted configuration. A shuttle may be attached to a distal end of the sleeve, where the shuttle includes a tubular member configured to maintain patency of the sleeve, and the filament engages the shuttle to retract the sleeve into the lumen.