A tubular shaped elongated catheter device assembly with a distal and a proximal end, comprising an intraluminal distal segment and an extraluminal proximal segment, comprising one or more chemical and/or biological agents, for interaction with bodily fluids of luminal organs, wherein the intraluminal segment comprises at least one expandable cross-sectional area which in its expanded state is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the luminal target site and wherein at least the expandable portion of the intraluminal segment is capable of interacting with at least one component of the bodily fluid via an interactive contact surface.

A knitted stent and a knitted stent system are disclosed, the knitted stent system comprising the knitted stent, a knitted stent (100) is formed by spirally coiling a knitted wire about an axis in an interlaced manner. The knitted wire includes at least one elastic metal tube (110), each elastic metal tube (110) defining a first lumen and having a wall in which release holes (111) in communication with the first lumen are formed. The first lumen can serve as a drug receptacle. A drug can be filled in the receptacle and released from the release holes (111). In this way, the knitted stent (100) can be used as a base of a drug-loaded stent, thus solving the problem of poor geometric compliance and fatigue resistance arising from the use of conventional drug-loaded stents.

The invention relates to a system for replacing a heart valve that is diseased owing to inflammation and/or an infection. The system has: a stent system with at least one expandable stent; and a replacement heart valve which is secured to the at least one stent and has at least two heart valve leaflets. The at least one stent has a coating with an antimicrobial substance or an antimicrobially effective carrier material, preferably on the inner side and/or the outer side.

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 spacer for a knee replacement prosthesis. The spacer may have a lower surface with a locking component adapted to interlock with a tibial tray, an upper surface optionally with a tibial post and a pair of smooth-surfaced and slightly concave condyle support platforms disposed on opposite sides of the tibial post, and a substantially hollow body with an internal reservoir that can be filled with antibiotic material. The reservoir may be accessible from a port on the hollow body that leads into the internal reservoir, and which permits refilling of the reservoir. In some embodiments, the reservoir may be refillable from this port without removal of the spacer from the patient; for example, a percutaneous needle may be inserted into the port. The spacer may dispense antibiotic from this reservoir to the surrounding area in order to treat an infection.

An implantable drug delivery device and method for delivering a drug to a living body. The device includes a housing having at least one opening, a reservoir within the housing adapted to contain a drug, a temporary seal closing the opening of the housing, and a heating element in thermal contact with the temporary seal. The heating element is adapted to generate heat in response to a magnetic field to melt the temporary seal and release a drug within the reservoir through the opening of the housing.

An anatomy-specific implant for neuroplastic surgery. The implant includes a soft tissue implant component designed within and adapted to replace or restore missing soft tissue in a skull, joint or spine of the patient, wherein the soft tissue implant component is adapted to be coupled by an interdigitated connection to a rigid component. The rigid component can be a skull implant adapted to replace missing cranial or vertebral bone, or healthy cranial or vertebral bone, either of which can have downward extending catheters for medicinal brain or spinal cord infusion to help bypass the blood-brain barrier via multiphase flow. The soft tissue implant may include a functional component having neurotechnologies such as MRI-lucent pumps, Bluetooth connection systems, refillable diaphragms, remote imaging devices, wireless charging capabilities, and/or informative biosensors. The soft tissue implant component may be interchangeable with another soft tissue implant component in plug-and-play fashion.

Disclosed herein are drug delivery punctal implants and methods of using the implants for the treatment of ocular disorders requiring targeted and controlled administration of a drug to an interior portion of the eye for reduction or prevention of symptoms of the disorder. The physical arrangement of drugs within the punctal plugs disclosed herein results, in several embodiments, in advantageous controlled delivery of one or more drugs to the eye of a patient.

The invention relates to an arrangement and a software-based application for modifying an internal eye pressure in vivo, having modulating means for modifying the internal eye pressure and sensor means for capturing the internal eye pressure in vivo, and enabling easily operated and quickly reacting changes to the internal eye pressure while avoiding the disadvantages of the prior art, proposing that the modulating means are implemented for modifying the internal eye pressure as a function of the internal eye pressure captured by the sensor means.

Some target anatomies within the ear, nose and/or throat of a patient may be difficult to access and treat. To provide a means of treating such target anatomies over time, drug delivery devices that are sized to be positioned within a naturally occurring or man-made anatomical cavity or passageway are preloaded with active agent(s). The drug delivery devices are affixed directly to, or in the vicinity of, a target anatomy. Once affixed, the drug delivery devices are configured to deliver active agent(s) at desired dosage(s) to the target anatomy through controlled elution of the active agent(s) as various structural features of the drug delivery devices are bio-eliminated.