A method is described for decreasing activity of at least one sympathetic nerve, nerve fiber or neuron innervating at least one blood vessel in the pulmonary vasculature of a patient to ameliorate pulmonary hypertension. In one embodiment, the method may involve advancing an intravascular treatment device to a target location in a target blood vessel within the pulmonary vasculature of the patient and using the treatment device to decrease activity of at least one sympathetic nerve, nerve fiber or neuron innervating the target blood vessel at or near the target location to ameliorate pulmonary hypertension.

A system of devices for treating an artery includes an arterial access sheath adapted to introduce an interventional catheter into an artery and an elongated dilator positionable within the internal lumen of the sheath body. The system also includes a catheter formed of an elongated catheter body sized and shaped to be introduced via a carotid artery access site into a common carotid artery through the internal lumen of the arterial access sheath. The catheter has an overall length and a distal most section length such that the distal most section can be positioned in an intracranial artery and at least a portion of the proximal most section is positioned in the common carotid artery during use.

A joint assembly for an endovascular device, comprising a shaft comprising a main body and an enlarged end, a proximal strut comprising a slot, wherein the slot engages the enlarged end of the shaft and a locking collar comprising a proximal face and a distal face, and at least partially covering the enlarged end of the shaft and the slot of the proximal strut, such that the locking collar constrains the proximal strut such that the proximal strut cannot disengage from the enlarged end of the shaft when the joint assembly and the clot retrieval device is under load.

Catheter devices provide for rolling movement between the inner and outer catheter tubes with a roller assembly in a radial gap between the inner and outer catheter tubes. Devices of the invention are particularly useful in minimally invasive implantations, such as the implantation of a vascular implant. A particular application is interventional catheter-assisted aortic valve implantation.

A growable continuum instrument includes a growable tube and one or more serially connected continuum structures. The growable tube includes an inner layer, an outer layer, and a fluid chamber between the inner and outer layers. The growable tube includes a turnable region where the inner and outer layers are connected and turnable. The continuum structure is located in the growable tube. The continuum structure includes a plurality of spacer discs and a plurality of connecting structures. The connecting structure includes one or more flexible structural bones, the two ends of which are respectively fixedly connected with the adjacent spacer discs, and are distributed along the circumferential direction of the spacer discs. The plurality of connecting structures include at least a first and second connecting structures, and the flexible structural bones of the first and second connecting structures are distributed differently along the circumferential direction of the spacer disc.

A rapidly insertable central catheter (“RICC”) insertion assembly having a sealing module can include a RICC, an introducer needle, an access guidewire, and a coupler coupling the RICC and the introducer needle together. A proximal portion of the access guidewire is disposed in a primary lumen of the RICC. A distal portion of the access guidewire is disposed in a needle shaft of the introducer needle through a needle slot thereof. A coupler housing of the coupler includes a sealing-module cavity of the sealing module. An elastomeric sealing-module insert of the sealing module is inserted into the sealing-module cavity. The sealing-module insert is configured to separately seal around a proximal portion of the introducer needle and the distal portion of the access guidewire when the sealing-module insert is compressed in the sealing-module cavity. A method can include inserting the foregoing RICC into a blood-vessel lumen of a patient.

A catheter configured for partial implantation into a patient and drainage of a body cavity may be provided with microtextured surface on one or more inner diameter surfaces and/or outer diameter surfaces of the tubular catheter body. The microtexturing may include surface features dimensioned to inhibit colonization and/or migration of microbes. The microtexturing may also include channels or other recesses containing an antimicrobial agent such as chlorhexidine gluconate or any other effective antimicrobial agent.

A medical device positioner for use with a remote catheter guidance system (RCGS) is provided, which can address angular, lateral and/or translational misalignment of an elongate medical device between the RCGS and an access point on a patient's body. Such a medical device positioner can comprise a base configured to attach to a remote catheter guidance system and a first support member extending from the base and having a receiving portion for receiving at least a portion of the elongate medical device. The medical device positioner can further include a second support member movably coupled to the first support member and including a second receiving area sized and configured to receive at least a portion of the elongate medical device. The medical device positioner can also include first and second tube sections with at least a portion of the first tube section being adapted to be inserted into a vascular system of a patient at an access point. A joint septum can be included for connecting the first and second tube sections.

Described are drainage catheter hub devices which seal the hub from leakage when connected to a catheter. The catheter hub includes a hub body having an aperture with a sealing element mounted therein and a fluid passageway that communicates with the aperture. The fluid passageway and sealing element are configured to receive a tension member. A lever arm attached to the hub body is operable to secure the position of the tension member in the sealing element in a locked position or allow movement of the tension member through the sealing element in an unlocked position. The lever arm is configured to engage and compress the sealing element to block fluid flow through the sealing element and the aperture when the lever arm is in any position. The hub body may include a centering tab to align the tension member along a longitudinal axis of the hub body.

The present teachings may generally include a sealing device disposed within a connector (e.g., a patient connector) at an end of catheter tubing, where the sealing device is structurally configured to form a releasable seal for the catheter tubing. That is, when unengaged with a contact portion of another connector or device, the sealing device may be disposed in a first position establishing the seal. Specifically, a channel disposed through a body of the sealing device may be obstructed when in the first position. However, through predetermined engagement with the contact portion of another connector or device, the sealing device may be moved (e.g., rotated) to a second position to establish a fluid pathway through the channel. And, when the predetermined engagement is removed, the sealing device may be structurally configured to automatically move back into the first position to reestablish the seal for the catheter tubing.