Disclosed herein are compounds in the form of polymers, oligomers and defined molecules having repeating units that all incorporate repeating units formed from an imidazolium group and a biodegradable chain connected to an adjacent repeating unit. The compounds disclosed herein may have antimicrobial activity and so may be used to treat microbial infection and/or to treat surfaces to prevent microbial infections. Also disclosed herein are methods of forming the compounds.

A hydrogel-based biological delivery vehicle used to effectively deliver drug and biological material to tissue or organ sites. More specifically, a hydrogel binding matrix having a biopolymer backbone containing carboxyl groups. Tyramine may be substituted for at least a portion of the carboxyl groups, so that, when hydrogen peroxide is added, it causes creation of covalent bonds between tyramine molecules and cross-links the hydrogel binding matrix, thereby enabling the hydrogel binding matrix to transition from liquid to gel state. The hydrogel binding matrix, in its liquid form, is capable of encapsulating drug reservoirs to create a homogenous liquid with evenly distributed particles containing drugs or target molecules. As the hydrogel binding matrix solidifies into a gel state, the newly created cross-links do not disrupt or react with the drugs or target molecules contained within the drug reservoirs. This hydrogel-based biological delivery vehicle can be used in several medical applications.

The present disclosure provides compositions which may be used as tissue engineering materials, and more particularly xylitol-doped citrate polymer compositions which may be useful as bone grafts.

A shunt system used to treat excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation is described. In some embodiments, the system utilizes various mechanical, electrical, or electromechanical concepts designed to either clean a portion of the shunt system, or customize CSF drainage.

An example medical device includes a vascular device, such as a catheter, and an anti-thrombogenic coating on a surface of the vascular device, such as a surface likely to contact blood. The anti-thrombogenic coating includes one or more peptides configured to interact with fibrinogen in the blood, such as a first type of peptides configured to bind to fibrinogen a second type of peptides configured to inhibit conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. The anti-thrombogenic coating also includes a polymer, such as a hydrocolloid polymer, a tunable polyethylene glycol (PEG), or other controlled release polymer configured to control release of the one or more peptides and maintain a concentration of the peptides at the surface of the anti-thrombogenic coating above a minimum inhibitory concentration, thereby inhibiting thrombin formation on the intravascular medical device.

The invention relates to self-assembled organosilane- and small molecule drug-containing coatings for resorbable medical implant devices. The coatings can be prepared from precursor compositions containing an organosilane and a small molecule drug, and can be applied to substrates. Prior to applying the coatings, the surfaces of the substrates can be pretreated. The coatings can be functionalized with a binding compound that is coupled with an active component. The coatings can be applied using various techniques and apparatus, more particularly, by a deep-coating process conducted at ambient conditions.

Antimicrobial metal ion coatings. In particular, described herein are coatings including an anodic metal (e.g., silver and/or zinc and/or copper) that is co-deposited with a cathodic metal (e.g., palladium, platinum, gold, molybdenum, titanium, iridium, osmium, niobium or rhenium) on a substrate (including, but not limited to absorbable/resorbable substrates) so that the anodic metal is galvanically released as antimicrobial ions when the apparatus is exposed to a bodily fluid. The anodic metal may be at least about 25 percent by volume of the coating, resulting in a network of anodic metal with less than 20% of the anodic metal in the coating fully encapsulated by cathodic metal.

Balloon catheter includes an outer shaft having a hypotube and a monolithic single-layer distal outer member, a balloon in fluid communication with an inflation lumen, and a monolithic inner tubular member having a guidewire lumen defined therethrough. The outer shaft has the inflation lumen defined therethrough. The monolithic single-layer distal outer member is necked to a reduced diameter along an entire length thereof. A proximal end of the monolithic single-layer distal outer member is coupled to the hypotube. A distal section of the hypotube comprises a skive defined by a first angled cut, an axial cut, and a second angled cut. The balloon has a proximal balloon shaft coupled to a distal end of the monolithic single-layer distal outer member. The monolithic inner tubular member extends distally from a proximal port in the monolithic single-layer distal outer member through the balloon to form a tip.

This invention relates to shape memory block copolymers comprising: at least one switching segment having a T.sub.trans from 10 to 70° C.; and at least one soft segment, wherein at least one of the switching segments in linked to at least one of the soft segments by at least one linkage, and wherein the copolymer transforms from a first shape to a second shape by application of a first stimulus and the copolymer transforms back to the first shape from the second shape by application of a second stimulus. The shape memory block copolymers may be biocompatible and biodegradable.

A medical device includes a structural element comprising an outer surface and a material on the outer surface of the structural element. The material defines void spaces containing a gas entrained within the void spaces. The material, upon contact with physiological fluid, is configured to release the gas in an amount sufficient for the gas to be imaged by ultrasound.