Systems and methods for the intravascular treatment of clot material within a blood vessel of a human patient are disclosed herein. A method in accordance with embodiments of the present technology can include, for example, engaging an interventional device of a catheter system with clot material in a blood vessel and withdrawing the interventional device and the portion of the clot material through a guide catheter. In some embodiments, the catheter system can include an attachment/valve member coupled to a proximal portion of the guide catheter, and the method can include unsealing the attachment/valve member to facilitate withdrawing the interventional device through the attachment/valve member without significant retention of clot material within the attachment/valve member. The method can further include resealing and aspirating the guide catheter before advancing another interventional device to the clot material to again engage and remove clot material from the blood vessel.

A medical guidewire assembly is movable through an exit portal of a guidewire introducer. The guidewire introducer and the medical guidewire assembly are each insertable, at least in part, into a patient. The medical guidewire assembly is configured to reduce, at least in part, the hoop stress surrounding a puncture hole extending through the tissue of the patient. This is done in response to movement, at least in part, of the medical guidewire assembly relative to the puncture hole (after the puncture hole has been initially formed).

An apparatus includes a cylindraceous sleeve body, a navigation sensor, and an interface feature. The cylindraceous sleeve body includes an open proximal end, an open distal end, and a lumen extending from the open proximal end to the open distal end. The lumen is sized and configured to receive a shaft of a medical instrument. The navigation sensor is positioned at the open distal end of the cylindraceous sleeve body. The interface feature is configured to couple the navigation sensor with an image guidance system. The navigation sensor is configured to cooperate with an image guidance system to provide feedback indicating a position of the navigation sensor in three-dimensional space.

The present disclosure relates generally to medical devices and the use of medical devices for the treatment of vascular conditions. Particularly, the present disclosure provides devices and methods for using a vibrational wire guide to cut and/or core through a venous obstruction, such as a chronic clot.

An anchor is shaped to define a helix. A deployment tool is reversibly coupled to the anchor, and includes a lance. The deployment tool is configured to transluminally advance the anchor to the heart, and to stabilize the anchor at the tissue by driving the lance into the tissue. The deployment tool is also configured to anchor the anchor to the tissue, for example, by driving the tissue-penetrating helix into the tissue while the anchor remains stabilized at the tissue by the lance in the tissue, and to subsequently retract the lance from the tissue while leaving the anchor anchored to the tissue. Other embodiments are also described.

Balloon/infusion catheters comprise internal corewires within a single lumen structure in which the corewire can slide relative to the catheter tube within limits, and the balloon is attached to the catheter tube on one end and to the sliding corewire on the other end. The lumen provides fluid to inflate the balloon and to infuse fluid into the vessel proximal to the balloon. The infusion ports can have a polymer valve to limit infusion to lumen pressures at which the balloon is appropriately inflated. The balloon/infusion catheter can have an integral flow meter near its proximal end. Corresponding methods for use of the balloon/infusion catheter are described, such as for the delivery of hydraulic forces when used in conjunction with an aspiration catheter.

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.

A system for treating a patient having thrombus including an aspiration catheter having an aspiration lumen configured to be coupled to a vacuum source and configured for aspirating thrombus therethrough, an elongate member having a straight distal portion configured to extend from the aspiration lumen into a thrombus within the blood vessel, and a manipulation device selectively coupled to the elongate member, the manipulation device being configured to apply motive force to the elongate member, wherein the motive force comprises a combination of motive force components comprising an alternating clockwise motion and counter-clockwise motion.

A sheath is transluminally introduced a sheath into an atrium of a heart of a subject. A guide member is advanced out of the sheath and to a chorda tendinea of the heart, the guide member having a proximal portion that includes a longitudinal element, and a distal portion that includes a helical chord-engaging element. The chord-engaging element is wrapped around the chorda tendinea. While the chord-engaging element remains wrapped around the chorda tendinea, (i) the chord-engaging element is slid over the chorda tendinea toward a papillary muscle that is coupled to the chorda tendinea; and (ii) subsequently, a tool is moved out of the sheath and toward the papillary muscle by sliding the tool along the longitudinal element. Other embodiments are also described.

A guidewire including an optical fiber containing three fiber cores, each supporting a strain-sensing fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is described. The three FBGs are susceptible to changes in strain so that axial and lateral force vectors imparted to the FBGs can be ascertained. An optical connector detachably connects the guidewire optic fiber to a proximal optical fiber. The proximal optical fiber in turn is connected to a controller, which in addition to ascertaining the axial and lateral force vectors imparted to each of the FBGs, is programmed to calculate the spatial orientation of the guidewire as it is advanced through the vasculature. This capability is extremely useful for positioning the guidewire at a body site of interest prior to performing a medical procedure. A temperature-sensing FBG is used to compensate for changes in the ambient temperature.