The present invention relates to a prosthetic fabric comprising an arrangement of yarns defining at least two faces for said fabric, said fabric comprising, on at least one of its faces, one or more barbs that protrude outwards relative to said face, characterized in that said barbs are covered with a coating made of a water-soluble biocompatible material. The invention also relates to a process for obtaining such a fabric and to prostheses obtained from such a fabric.

An implantable containment apparatus for receiving and retaining a biological moiety or a therapeutic device within a tissue bed is disclosed. The device includes a shaping element to maintain the device in a generally toroidal configuration and to return the apparatus to that configuration after deformation. The apparatus can be placed in a host tissue with minimal trauma to the patient. Methods for implanting and using the apparatus are also disclosed.

A medical device comprises a substrate (10) defining a major surface (9) defining a plane, including a plurality of first struts (14) along a first direction interconnected with a plurality of second struts (12) extending along a second direction not parallel with the first direction, wherein widths (11) of the second struts as measured along the major surface are larger than thicknesses of the second struts as measured perpendicular to the major surface such that when the substrate is stretched in the first direction, intermediate sections (15) of the second struts (12) rotate relative to the first struts (14) and the intermediate sections of the second struts bend out of the plane of the major surface. The medical device is operable to extend and/or retract elements suitable for a particular purpose. The elements are extended and/or retracted in response to a stress applied by way of stretching and/or retracting the device, among other methods. The elements may remain extended and/or retracted or may recoil back to an initial position upon the removal of the force. In various embodiments, the elements are used to treat or deliver treatment to a target site within a body.

The present invention relates to a prosthesis (100) comprising an openworked three-dimensional knit (101) comprising a front face and a rear face, each face being formed with one or more laps of yarns defining pores on said face, the front face being bound to the rear face by connecting yarns defining a spacer, characterized in that the connecting yarns are distributed so that they define an entanglement of yarns crossing each other at the spacer, without obstructing the pores of the front and rear faces.

An annuloplasty device is disclosed comprising first and second support rings being configured to be arranged as a coil in a first configuration around an axial direction, wherein the first and second support rings are configured to be arranged on opposite sides of native heart valve leaflets of a heart valve, wherein the first and second support rings are separated with a first pitch distance in the axial direction, in the first configuration, wherein the first and second support rings are configured to assume a contracted state having a second pitch distance in the axial direction being shorter than the first pitch distance, and wherein the first and second support rings are configured to be transferable between the first configuration and the contracted state to pinch the heart valve leaflets. A method of repairing a defective heart valve is also disclosed.

Devices and methods are disclosed for managing and/or treating body tissues obstructing a hollow body lumen, such as the prostatic lobe tissues obstructing the urethra. A scaffolding may be provided with opposing tissue-engaging portions and at least one expansion member configured to transition between a compressed configuration having a reduced distance between the tissue-engaging portions and a deployed configuration having an increased distance between the tissue-engaging portions.

Artificial heart valves, their manufacture, and methods of use are described. Generally, artificial heart valves can be deployed to replace or supplement defective heart valves in a patient. These artificial heart valves can comprise a frame with an inner skirt and leaflets. These inner skirt and leaflets can be generated from regenerative tissue to allow integration of the tissue with the body of a patient, while the frame can be generated from bioabsorbable material to allow dissolution of the frame over time. This combination of materials may allow for the artificial valve to grow with a patient and avoid costly and potentially dangerous replacement for patients receiving artificial valves.

A tubular construct that includes a braided tube embedded therein is disclosed herein. The braided tube may be embedded between layers of the tubular construct or may alternatively be positioned flush with the inside of the tubular construct. The tubular construct is resistant to kinking and has enhanced radial strength. The braided tube reinforces the wall of the tubular construct by improving burst pressure resistance, tube strength, and torque transmission. When radial pressure is applied to the braided tube that is embedded in the construct, the braided tube cannot expand lengthwise. Thus, the compression strength of the construct is increased in the radial direction. This feature takes advantage of the same principle used in the children's toy colloquially known as a Chinese finger trap. The increased radial strength of the tubular construct prevents the construct from collapsing and thereby enhances its structural integrity.

The present invention provides a warp-knitted fabric and a medical material that can be simultaneously extended in all directions by causing thread made of a second bioabsorbable material to be absorbed in a living body over time and in which the degree of extension can be increased. The present invention provides a warp-knitted fabric 10 in which adjacent loop rows are linked, the warp-knitted fabric 10 including: a plurality of first loop rows including a first thread and composed of continuous loops extending in the warp direction; and one or two or more second loop rows disposed between the first loop rows and composed of continuous loops extending in the warp direction, wherein each second loop row is formed of one or two or more loops solely including a second thread and one or two or more loops including the first thread, which are arranged alternately, at least three first loop rows are linked together by the first thread, and the bioabsorption rate of the first thread is lower than the bioabsorption rate of the second thread.

A system of prosthetic implants for a total knee replacement procedure is provided. The system includes a tibial component of a knee joint implant, a tibial insert configured to be positioned against the superior side of the platform of the tibial component, a first femoral component of a knee joint implant, and a second femoral component of a knee joint implant.