Methods for performing non-invasive thrombolysis with ultrasound using, in some embodiments, one or more ultrasound transducers to focus or place a high intensity ultrasound beam onto a blood clot (thrombus) or other vascular inclusion or occlusion (e.g., clot in the dialysis graft, deep vein thrombosis, superficial vein thrombosis, arterial embolus, bypass graft thrombosis or embolization, pulmonary embolus) which would be ablated (eroded, mechanically fractionated, liquefied, or dissolved) by ultrasound energy. The process can employ one or more mechanisms, such as of cavitational, sonochemical, mechanical fractionation, or thermal processes depending on the acoustic parameters selected. This general process, including the examples of application set forth herein, is henceforth referred to as “Thrombolysis.”

A catheter comprises an elongated carrier and a balloon carried by the carrier in sealed relation thereto. The balloon has an outer surface and is arranged to receive a fluid therein that inflates the balloon. The catheter further comprises a shock wave generator within the balloon that forms mechanical shock waves within the balloon, and a medicinal agent carried on the outer surface of the balloon. The medicinal agent is releasable from the balloon either before or in response to the shock wave.

Devices, systems and methods are provided for stabilizing and grasping tissues such as valve leaflets, assessing the grasp of these tissues, approximating and fixating the tissues, and assessing the fixation of the tissues to treat cardiac valve regurgitation, particularly mitral valve regurgitation.

A surgical apparatus for treating a blood clot in a vessel of a patient having an elongated member having an outer wall, a first hole at a distal portion and a second hole spaced proximally from the first hole positioned in a side wall. A first lumen is provided within the elongated member for blood flow through the second hole, through the lumen and exiting the first hole to maintain blood flow during treatment of the blood clot. An energy emitter emits energy to the blood clot or hardenings and a connector connects the energy emitter to an external energy source, wherein blood flows into the second hole positioned proximal of the blood clot and exits the first hole distal of the blood clot during activation of the energy emitter. In some instances when the apparatus is introduced from a retrograde ‘upstream” approach blood may flow through the device in the opposite direction.

Systems and methods for localized drug delivery via undulating drug coated balloons (DCB), in particular using functionalized nanoparticles as a drug delivery medium in combination with an undulating balloon, are disclosed. In various disclosed embodiments, a nanoparticle matrix is adhered to in an external substrate-surface, such as the balloon surface, and is activated for release once at the treatment site. Activation for release may be enhanced through the use of an undulating balloon system including methodologies for precise control of timing, waveform and extent of undulations.

A surgical apparatus for treating a vessel blockage in a vessel of a patient having an elongated member having an outer wall, a first hole at a distal portion and a second hole spaced proximally from the first hole positioned in a side wall. A first lumen is provided within the elongated member for blood flow through the second hole, through the lumen and exiting the first hole to maintain blood flow during treatment of the vessel blockage. A motor driven impeller is rotatable during blood flow through the first lumen to enhance blood flow as blood flows into the second hole positioned proximal of the vessel blockage and exits the first hole distal of the vessel blockage during injection of fluid through one or more openings to treat the vessel blockage.

A method for applying ultrasound to activate a cavitation enhancing agent in the presence of a therapeutic compound and a microbial biofilm is provided. The ultrasound energy causes the cavitation enhancing agent to cavitate in the ultrasound field. The cavitation of the resultant bubble causes fluid streaming and shear forces at and near the biofilm, causing enhanced penetration of the therapeutic compound into the biofilm, and resulting in improved efficacy of the therapeutic compound against the biofilm. The method further includes cavitation enhancing agents which can be loaded with oxygen gas or combined with microbubbles which carry oxygen gas, which further potentiate antibiotic efficacy against the biofilm.

A balloon catheter system assisted by ultrasound and microbubbles and a method for vasodilation are provided. The system includes: a controller; a sensor catheter; a highly focused ultrasound probe, and the highly focused ultrasound probe and the sensor catheter is connected to the controller; and a balloon catheter. The method of vasodilation includes: providing a sensor catheter into a blood vessel, and controlling a highly focused ultrasound probe to focus at a hardened portion of the blood vessel; removing the sensor catheter from the blood vessel and inserting a balloon catheter into the blood vessel; infusing microbubbles into the balloon catheter and controlling the highly focused ultrasound probe to start working to destroy a calcification point of the hardened portion of the blood vessel, and smoothly inflating the balloon catheter at the hardened portion of the blood vessel.

Systems and methods for treating a blood clot include a catheter to be inserted into a patient. The catheter is used to deliver low stability microbubbles toward the blood clot in the patient. A thrombolytic agent is delivered toward the blood clot, and ultrasonic energy is applied to the microbubbles to vibrate the microbubbles.

Provided is a treatment method and a medical device that can intentionally and locally administer a drug to a lesion area appearing in a narrow blood vessel such as a retinal blood vessel and a spinal blood vessel. The treatment method has an introduction step of introducing a medical elongated body having a drug holder for holding a drug into a living body, an arrangement step of arranging the drug holder at a treatment target inside the living body, and a discharge step of discharging the drug to the treatment target by releasing the drug held by the drug holder.