Described here are methods and apparatuses for tracking a clot material within a lumen of a suction catheter. For example, an apparatus as described herein may include a flexible elongate body having a suction lumen, a first pair of electrodes within the suction lumen, a second pair of electrodes proximal to the first pair of electrodes, and a controller configured to track a clot material within the suction lumen based on signals from the first pair of electrodes and the second pair of electrodes.

Described here are methods and apparatuses for tracking a clot material within a lumen of a suction catheter. For example, an apparatus as described herein may include a flexible elongate body having a suction lumen, a first pair of electrodes within the suction lumen, a second pair of electrodes proximal to the first pair of electrodes, and a controller configured to track a clot material within the suction lumen based on signals from the first pair of electrodes and the second pair of electrodes.

A medical device for the treatment of a sinus opening includes a handle, a grooming sheath, a rail, a guide wire, a balloon catheter and a balloon catheter movement mechanism. The handle has a proximal end, a distal end and a longitudinal axis along the length of the handle. The grooming sheath has a distal end and a proximal end with the proximal end of the grooming sheath being attached to the distal end of the handle. The rail has a distal end and a proximal end and disposed partially within the grooming sheath to define an annular lumen is between the rail and the grooming sheath. The guide wire operatively extends from the distal end of the rail and the balloon catheter is disposed at least partially in the handle and annular lumen. The balloon catheter movement mechanism operatively disposed on the handle and configured for advancement and retraction of the balloon catheter through both the handle and the annular lumen and along both the rail and guide wire by user operation of the balloon catheter movement mechanism. A method for treating a sinus opening includes inserting a medical device for the treatment of a sinus opening partially into a patient's anatomy and then positioning a guide wire operatively extending from a rail of a medical device into a sinus opening of the patient. The method further includes advancing a balloon catheter from an annular lumen of the medical device and along both the rail of the medical device and the guide wire. The method also includes treating the sinus opening via inflation of the balloon catheter. In the method, the annular lumen is between the rail and a grooming sheath of the medical device and the advancing is accomplished via user operation of a balloon catheter movement mechanism of the medical device.

An introducer sheath assembly having a handle portion including a front end and a rear end, and a introducer sheath extending outwardly from the front end of the handle portion, the introducer sheath including a device lumen configured to slidably receive a corresponding device, a guidewire lumen configured to slidably receive a corresponding guidewire, a first steering cable lumen, a second steering cable lumen, a first steering cable disposed in the first steering cable lumen and a second steering cable disposed in the second steering cable lumen, wherein the first steering cable lumen, the second steering cable lumen and the guidewire lumen are disposed radially outwardly from the device lumen.

A guiding sheath has a braided layer for improved deflection characteristics and ring electrodes for electrical sensing, mapping and visualization, wherein lead wires for the ring electrodes are passed through lumened tubing position under the braided layer in a proximal portion of the guiding sheath shaft and above the braided layer in a distal portion of the guiding sheath shaft. Moreover, the hemostatic valve includes an improved friction ring with air vents to reduce the risk of air being introduced into the valve.

Disclosed herein are compositions of matter for inclusion in a medical device for visualization purposes. Such compositions may include a radiopaque metal, such as tungsten, within a functionalized hydrophobic polymer. Methods of making devices incorporating such elements are also disclosed.

A catheter (1) has a distal side and a proximal side and includes a tip part (10) and a main body part (20) disposed proximal to the tip part (10), the main body part (20) includes a first layer (21) and a second layer (22), the first layer (21) contains 60% by mass or more of an ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, the second layer (22) is disposed inside of the first layer (21) in a radial direction of the catheter (1) and contains 60% by mass or more of a polyamide resin, and a cantilever bending load of the tip part (10) is smaller than a cantilever bending load of the main body part (20).

A coaxial multilumen annulus plane catheter, including an outer pigtail catheter enclosing one or two additional lumens, each housing either a slidable shaped wire or a second pigtail catheter shaped to fit into a wide range of annulus diameters and/or depths. In embodiments, the device may include a catheter delivery handle with thumb/finger-actuated sliders that extend or retract the shaped wires and are sized to enable side-to-side or radial motion, imparting a torque to the pre-shaped wires which translates the length of the wires to enable individually controlled rotation or sweep of each wire to accommodate different annulus diameters. The delivery handle includes hemostasis controls and flush ports. In other embodiments, a handle is obviated by direct lumen axial and rotational control at a proximal end.

A closed-system urinary catheter with a low viscosity gel lubrication is disclosed. The system has an uncoated catheter, but a hydrophilic coated catheter could be used. The low viscosity lubricating gel within the sachet uniformly coats the catheter when the sachet is ruptured just prior to use. A low viscosity lubrication gel could alternatively be place in the area inside the sheath and external to the catheter. Therefore, the variability that occurs with a hydrophilic catheter or the areas of a non-lubricated catheter with the higher viscosity gel catheters is avoided.

Disclosed herein are vascular access systems and methods thereof. For example, a vascular access system includes a port configured for subdermal implantation and a single-use access device. The port can include a port hub and a catheter tube. The port hub can include an access funnel and a septum defining a pair of port-hub lumens. The catheter tube can include a septum defining a pair of catheter-tube lumens fluidly coupled to the pair of port-hub lumens. The access device can include a bifurcated hub and a pair of cannulas. The pair of cannulas defines a pair of cannula lumens coupled to a pair of access device-hub lumens of the bifurcated hub. The pair of cannulas can be configured to simultaneously insert into the access funnel and couple the pair of cannula lumens to the pair of catheter-tube lumens when the pair of cannulas is fully seated in the port hub.