A composite dry adhesive includes (a) an adhesive layer comprising a shape memory polymer and (b) a resistive heating layer comprising a shape memory polymer composite on the adhesive layer. The shape memory polymer composite includes conductive particles dispersed in a shape memory polymer matrix, where the conductive particles have a concentration sufficient to form a conductive path through the resistive heating layer.

Cardiac tissue ablation catheters including an inflatable and flexible toroidal or spherically shaped balloon disposed at a distal region of an elongate member, a flexible circuit carried by an outer surface of the balloon, the flexible circuit including, a plurality of flexible branches conforming to the radially outer surface of the balloon, each of the plurality of flexible branches including a substrate, a conductive trace carried by the substrate, and an ablation electrode carried by the substrate, the ablation electrode in electrical communication with the conductive trace, and an elongate shaft comprising a guidewire lumen extending in the elongate member and extending from a proximal region of the inflatable balloon to distal region of the inflatable balloon and being disposed within the inflatable balloon, wherein a distal region of the elongate shaft is secured directly or indirectly to the distal region of the inflatable balloon.

The invention relates to medical aids, in particular compression products, such as compression stockings or bandages. More specifically, the invention relates to compression products comprising fibre forming polyurethane polymers showing a delayed continuous relaxation behaviour. The invention furthermore relates to polyurethane polymers containing N-diol and corresponding quaternised polyurethane polymers, to a process of producing the polyurethane polymers, to blends with elastane, as well as to uses.

The invention generally relates to shape memory films that are tri-functionally crosslinked and that comprise multiple, non-terminal, phenylethynyl moieties. In addition, the present invention relates methods of fabricating such films. Due to the improved properties of such SMPS, the SMP designer can program in to the SMP mechanical property enhancements that make the SMP suitable, among other things, for advanced sensors, high temperature actuators, responder matrix materials and heat responsive packaging.

In one embodiment, an irrigated catheter ablation apparatus comprises an elongated body having a distal end, a proximal end, and at least one fluid lumen extending longitudinally therein; and a plurality of segmented ablation electrodes on a distal portion of the elongated body. The electrodes are spaced from the proximal end and from the distal end of the elongated body by electrically nonconductive segments. The electrodes are spaced from each other longitudinally by electrically nonconductive segments. For each electrode that is longitudinally disposed next to one of the nonconductive segments, an edge is formed between an electrode end of the electrode and a nonconductive segment end of the nonconductive segment. A plurality of elution holes are disposed adjacent to the edges. A plurality of ducts establish fluid communication between the elution holes and the fluid lumen.

A catheter for mapping and/or ablating a region of the heart includes an intermediate section that is connected to a tip assembly at a preset angle by a flexible preshaped section that is more flexible than the intermediate section. The flexible section may absorb displacement force applied to the tip assembly, such as when the tip assembly encounters uneven tissue surface, without displacing the intermediate section. The flexible section prevents excessive force from being applied to the tip assembly, reducing the risk of any of the following: a) mechanical perforation, b) steam pop, c) burying the tip assembly in the myocardium resulting in high temperatures, low energy delivery, thrombus formation and char formation.

Polymeric based closed cell foams, such as shape memory polymer foams, contain bubbles. Making these bubbles continuous is called reticulation. Disclosed are embodiments of a device and method to controllably reticulate polymer-based closed cell foams by puncturing the membranes of these polymer-based closed cell foams.

A shaped polymeric material having a three-dimensional configuration with one or more angular displacements is provided. The polymeric material is formed from a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase that includes a matrix polymer. A microinclusion additive and nanoinclusion additive are dispersed within the continuous phase in the form of discrete domains, and a porous network is defined in the material.

Visualization and ablation systems and catheters. The systems can capture a plurality of different 2D images of the patient's anatomy adjacent an expandable member, each of which visualizes at least one part of the patient that is in contact with the expandable membrane, tag each of the plurality of different 2D images with information indicative of the position and orientation of a locational element when each of the plurality of different 2D images was captured, create a patient map, wherein creating the patient map comprises placing each of the plurality of different 2D images at the corresponding tagged position and orientation into a 3D space, and display the patient map.

A dry adhesive for attachment to a flexible adherend comprises a shape memory polymer having a glass transition temperature (T.sub.g) above 25° C. and a compliant backing layer attached to the shape memory polymer. The shape memory polymer is configured to form a conformal and/or hermetic contact with a flexible adherend at temperatures at or above the T.sub.g and to retain the conformal and/or hermetic contact during flexing of the flexible adherend at temperatures below the T.sub.g