A layered earplug with pressure reducing mechanisms in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment, the layered earplug comprises: a stalk comprising a tunnel that transverses the layered earplug; a plurality of discs attached to the stalk, wherein each disc of the plurality of discs includes a diameter relative to on a position of the disc on the stalk; at least one pocket located between two adjacent discs of the plurality of discs, wherein the at least one air pocket and the plurality of discs reduce sound that reaches a user's eardrum; and at least one valve located within the tunnel configured to release accumulated air pressure in a user's ear canal through the tunnel.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, a stent is described having a generally cylindrical body formed from a single woven nitinol wire. The distal and proximal ends of the stent include a plurality of loops, some of which include marker members used for visualizing the position of the stent. In another embodiment, the previously described stent includes an inner flow diverting layer.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, a stent is described having a generally cylindrical body formed from a single woven nitinol wire. The distal and proximal ends of the stent include a plurality of loops, some of which include marker members used for visualizing the position of the stent. In another embodiment, the previously described stent includes an inner flow diverting layer.

An assembly can include a prosthetic valve and a delivery apparatus having a handle and a plurality of actuator assemblies extending from the handle. The prosthetic valve can have a plurality of posts one or more of which are configured as actuators having an axially spaced first member and second member, and a threaded rod extending through first and second members. Each actuator assembly can include a first actuation member engaging an outflow end of the prosthetic valve and having first and second support extensions, and a second actuation member extending through the first actuation member and comprising a distal end portion having an engagement portion releasably coupled to the threaded rod. The first and second support extensions can inhibit rotation of the frame relative to the one or more actuator assemblies during expansion of the prosthetic valve.

An implantable vein frame is contemplated in which two ring members are rigidly joined in spaced axial alignment via one or more interconnecting members. One of the one or more interconnecting members defines a protruding region that acts upon the implant placed within the frame and/or the vein that the vein frame is placed within to define a sinus region. The implant is placed within and scaffolded by the vein frame, and the vein frame is subsequently inserted within a vein via a venotomy, or interposed between two vein segments via vein interposition graft. The vein frame acts to support the structural integrity of the implant, and to scaffold and anchor the implant in place with the vein.

Methods of delivering a prosthetic aortic heart valve are disclosed. The disclosed methods include loading a prosthetic aortic valve in a collapsed configuration into a delivery sheath so that a selected point on the prosthetic valve is rotationally aligned relative to a long axis of the delivery sheath with a selected radiopaque marker on the delivery sheath, while under fluoroscopic imaging, rotating the delivery sheath about its long axis to align a selected radiopaque marker on the delivery sheath with the selected point on the native aortic valve in a fluoroscopic imaging plane, thereby establishing a desired orientation of the prosthetic aortic valve with respect to the native aortic valve in which the prosthetic valve commissures are rotationally aligned with commissures of the native aortic valve, further advancing the delivery sheath along its long axis until the prosthetic aortic valve is disposed inside the native aortic valve, and deploying the prosthetic aortic valve into an implanted state inside the native aortic valve with the prosthetic aortic valve aligned in the desired orientation with respect to the native aortic valve.

A stent configured for implantation in a body lumen, includes: a tubular structure having a first end, a second end, and a tubular body, the tubular body comprising a plurality of elongate portions, the first end of the tubular structure having a plurality of crown elements; and a plurality of tabs coupled to the first end of the tubular structure; wherein the elongate portions comprise a first zigzag portion forming a first ring element, the first ring element having a first ring end, and a second ring end opposite from the first ring end, wherein the first ring end of the first ring element has a first set of peaks, and wherein the second ring end of the first ring element has a second set of peaks; and wherein the peaks in the first set are flat or are rectilinear.

Disclosed herein are gender-specific implantable mesh for inguinal hernia repair in a patient, comprising: a fabric layer comprising a side defining a surface area wherein the fabric layer is configured to enable tissue adhesion to said mesh; an anti-adhesive barrier comprising a shape configured to prevent direct contact between the fabric layer and both a spermatic cord and a genital nerve upon implantation, wherein the shape covers a part of the surface area on the side of the fabric layer, the part being less than 25%, and wherein the shape is oblique to a horizontally-oriented centerline and a vertically-oriented centerline; and a keyhole configured to fit the genital nerve and the spermatic cord of the patient therethrough without constriction, wherein the keyhole is oblique and inferior to a horizontally-oriented centerline and medial to a vertically-oriented centerline.

The present invention discloses a novel valve clamping device and a valve clamping system. The valve clamping device includes a first clamping component, a second clamping component, and a fixing component for fixing the first clamping component and the second clamping component. The first clamping component has at least two first clamping arms. The second clamping component has a corresponding number of second clamping arms. Each of the first clamping arms and the corresponding second clamping arm may be combined into a pair of clamps. The clamping device may adopt designs of a smooth transition at the top, the clamping teeth having high clamping stability, and the fixed ring achieving the purpose of “one thread for two uses”.

The present disclosure relates to a three-dimensional, degradable medical implant for regeneration of soft tissue comprising a plurality of volume-building components and a mesh component which is substantially made of monofilament or multifilament fibers, wherein each volume-building component is attached to at least one point on a surface of the mesh component, and wherein the projected surface area of each volume-building component, when projected on the surface of the mesh component, corresponds to a maximum of one tenth of the surface area of the mesh component.