A catheter assembly including a reinforcement structure and a catheter disposed over the reinforcement structure. The reinforcement structure includes a first outer wall reinforcement portion, a second outer wall reinforcement portion, and a septum reinforcement portion connecting the first outer wall reinforcement portion to the second outer wall reinforcement portion. The catheter includes a catheter outer wall and a catheter septum. The first outer wall reinforcement portion and the second outer wall reinforcement portion can be positioned at least partially in the catheter outer wall, and the septum reinforcement portion can be enveloped by the catheter septum. The catheter assembly can also include an outer tube disposed over the catheter and the reinforcement structure.

An expandable introducer device includes an introducer hub, an expandable tubular membrane coupled to the hub and extending distally therefrom, and a rigid spine attached to, partially attached to, extending through, or incorporated into the inner surface of the tubular membrane. The tubular membrane includes a folded configuration and an expanded, unfolded configuration when a device is advanced through the tubular membrane.

An expandable medical sheath can include a sheath body having a lumen that extends between proximal and distal ends of the sheath. The sheath can have first and second members where the first member has a different elastic modulus than the second member such that one provides elasticity to the sheath and the other provides column strength. The first and second members can be coupled together in alternating sections to form the tubular sheath or the stiffer members can be embedded in the elastic member along all or a portion of the longitudinal length of the sheath. The sheath can automatically move to an expanded state to allow a larger diameter medical device to pass through the lumen, and once through the sheath can automatically return to its initial diameter.

A medical assembly includes an expandable-mouth catheter and an introducer tool configured to facilitate advancement of the catheter into a delivery sheath. In some examples, a distal-most portion of the introducer tool includes a plurality of axial extensions separated by triangular-shaped slits. When the catheter is received within the introducer tool and when the introducer tool is received within a tapered portion of the delivery sheath, the axial extensions are configured to collapse radially inward to radially compress the expandable member and to enable the introducer to extend farther into the delivery sheath.

Devices and methods for increasing a patient's pulmonary arterial compliance are disclosed. The devices include catheters designed to create a connection between a patient's venous anatomy and the patient's pulmonary artery. With the arteriovenous connection various devices can be implanted in order to increase the volumetric compliance of the pulmonary artery. The devices include collapsible and expandable mechanisms which allow the effective pulmonary arterial volume to expand during systole and contract during diastole. The devices may include a balloon or balloon-like implants which cyclically shuttle a working fluid from the pulmonary artery to the vein and back. The devices may be adjustable to provide desired hemodynamic benefits. Methods are disclosed for making and using the inventive devices.

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical devices. In particular, the present disclosure relates to devices and methods to guide delivery devices and instruments. Exemplary instrument guides, including for endoscopes as delivery devices for cryogen delivery catheters and to guide cryogen decompression tubes as instruments, and methods for use of such instrument guides for use in body lumens at treatment sites, are disclosed.

Various implementations include an arteriovenous graft device. The device includes an outer conduit and an inner conduit. The outer conduit has a first outer conduit end and a second outer conduit end opposite the first outer conduit end. The first outer conduit end defines an outer conduit opening extending from the first outer conduit end to the second outer conduit end. The first outer conduit end is configured to be in fluid communication with an artery and the second outer conduit end is configured to be in fluid communication with a vein. The inner conduit defines an inner conduit opening. The inner conduit is sized to be disposed within the outer conduit opening. The inner conduit is movable between a collapsed position and an expandable position.

The present specification is directed towards catheter devices having expandable and collapsible lumens. Air or fluid is pumped into the catheter wall to cause it to expand. Alternatively, wires are embedded within the wall and a direction of flow of electrical current through the wires is modulated to enable the catheter device to be in the collapsed or expanded state. For example, a first wire is embedded within the wall and is helically wound along a length of the catheter device. A second wire is provided that can be removably positioned within the lumen. The direction of flow of electric current through the first and second wires is modulated to enable the catheter device to be in the collapsed or expanded state.

A delivery system for an interventional device includes an elongate catheter body, a catheter shaft extending within the elongate catheter body and configured to releasably attach to the interventional device, and at least one flexible element attached to a distal portion of the catheter shaft. The at least one flexible element has an expanded configuration in which the at least one flexible element extends beyond an outer circumference of the elongate catheter body and a collapsed configuration in which the at least one flexible element collapses within an inner circumference of the elongate catheter body. The at least one flexible element is configured to act as a tactile stop when pulled proximally against the elongate catheter body and/or to fold over the interventional device to act as a retraction aid.

An intermittent urinary catheter assembly (20) comprises a catheter tube (22) having a proximal insertion end (24) and a distal end (26) remote from the proximal insertion end and a lumen (28) which extends from at or near the proximal insertion end to the distal end for draining urine from a human bladder. The intermittent urinary catheter assembly includes a urine discharge sleeve (34) associated with the discharge opening (30) of the catheter tube, and the urine discharge sleeve has a compact stowed configuration and is extendable into a deployed configuration for directing urine flow. Alternatively, an adapter assembly (50″) comprises a fitting or nipple (52″) having a urine passageway for insertion into a funnel (40″) associated with a urine discharge end of an intermittent urinary catheter, and a discharge funnel (42″) associated with the fitting or nipple, and an extendable urine discharge sleeve (34″) within the discharge funnel.