73 results about "Cardiac procedures" patented technology

A surgical system or assembly for performing cardiac surgery includes a surgical instrument; a servo-mechanical system engaged to the surgical instrument for operating the surgical instrument; and an attachment assembly for removing at least one degree of movement from a moving surgical cardiac worksite to produce a resultant surgical cardiac worksite. The surgical system or assembly also includes a motion tracking system for gathering movement information on a resultant surgical cardiac worksite. A control computer is engaged to the attachment assembly and to the motion tracking system and to the servo-mechanical system for controlling movement of the attachment assembly and for feeding gathered information to the servo-mechanical system for moving the surgical instrument in unison with the resultant surgical cardiac worksite such that a relative position of the moving surgical instrument with respect to the resultant surgical cardiac worksite is generally constant. A video monitor is coupled to the control computer; and an input system is coupled to the servo-mechanical system and to the control computer for providing a movement of the surgical instrument. The video monitor displays movement of the surgical instrument while the resultant surgical cardiac worksite appears substantially stationary, and while a relative position of the surgical instrument moving in unison with the resultant surgical cardiac worksite, as a result from the movement information gathered by the motion tracking system, remains generally constant. A method of performing cardiac surgery without cardioplegia comprising removing at least one degree of movement freedom from a moving surgical cardiac worksite to produce at least a partially stationary surgical cardiac worksite while allowing a residual heart section, generally separate from the at least partially stationary surgical cardiac worksite, to move as a residual moving heart part. Cardiac surgery is performed on the at least partially stationary cardiac worksite with a surgical instrument such as needle drivers, forceps, blades and scissors.

A system for accessing a patient's cardiac anatomy which includes an endovascular aortic partitioning device that separates the coronary arteries and the heart from the rest of the patient's arterial system. The endovascular device for partitioning a patient's ascending aorta comprises a flexible shaft having a distal end, a proximal end, and a first inner lumen therebetween with an opening at the distal end. The shaft may have a preshaped distal portion with a curvature generally corresponding to the curvature of the patient's aortic arch. An expandable means, e.g. a balloon, is disposed near the distal end of the shaft proximal to the opening in the first inner lumen for occluding the ascending aorta so as to block substantially all blood flow therethrough for a plurality of cardiac cycles, while the patient is supported by cardiopulmonary bypass. The endovascular aortic partitioning device may be coupled to an arterial bypass cannula for delivering oxygenated blood to the patient's arterial system. The heart muscle or myocardium is paralyzed by the retrograde delivery of a cardioplegic fluid to the myocardium through patient's coronary sinus and coronary veins, or by antegrade delivery of cardioplegic fluid through a lumen in the endovascular aortic partitioning device to infuse cardioplegic fluid into the coronary arteries. The pulmonary trunk may be vented by withdrawing liquid from the trunk through an inner lumen of an elongated catheter. The cardiac accessing system is particularly suitable for removing the aortic valve and replacing the removed valve with a prosthetic valve.

A drug delivery catheter suited for cardiac procedures including transmyocardial revascularization. The catheter includes a distal helical coil or other fixation and penetrating element, which can be operated from the proximal end of the catheter to engage and penetrate the myocardium. Once delivered to the inside of the heart, the catheter can be used to created several helical wounds in the myocardium, and also inject small doses of therapeutic agents to the wounds. The TMR accomplished by the procedure provides for large wound to penetration ratio, and limits the potential of perforating the heart wall.

There is disclosed a porous emboli deflector for preventing cerebral emboli while maintaining cerebral blood flow during an endovascular or open surgical procedure. The device prevents the entrance of emboli of a size able to cause stroke (such as greater than 100 microns) from entering either the right or left common carotid arteries, and/or the right or left vertebral arteries by deflecting emboli downstream of these vessels. The device can be placed prior to any manipulation of the heart or aorta allowing maximal protection of the brain during the index procedure. The deflector has a low profile within the aorta which allows sheaths, catheters, or wires used in the index procedure to pass. Also disclosed are methods for insertion and removal of the deflector.

A system for manipulating and supporting a beating heart during cardiac surgery, including a gross support element for engaging and supporting the heart (the gross support element preferably including a head which is sized and shaped to cradle the myocardium of the left ventricle), a suspension head configured to exert lifting force on the heart when positioned near the apical region of the heart at a position at least partially overlying the right ventricle, and a releasable attachment element for releasably attaching at least one of the gross support element and the suspension head to the heart. The releasable attachment element can be a mechanical element (such as one or more staples or sutures) or an adhesive such as glue. Alternatively, the system includes a suspension head and a releasable attachment element for releasably attaching it to the heart, but does not include a gross support element.

A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a foot pedal that can be operated by the foot of a surgeon. The robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector is coupled to a robotic arm assembly which can move the endoscope relative to the patient. The system includes a computer which controls the movement of the robotic arm in response to input signals received from the foot pedal.

A deployment device for deploying a material into a patient, said deployment device having a housing and a placement device including a retracted condition within the housing for holding a material, in a collapsed condition, within the housing and an extended condition from the housing for disposing and releasing the material at a predetermined site in an uncollapsed condition. A method of deploying a material by placing the placement device in an extended condition and affixing the material to the extended placement device, retracting the placement device into the housing with the material in a collapsed condition, extending the placement device, and placing the material at a predetermined site in an uncollapsed condition.

The present disclosure relates to delivery devices and interventional devices configured to enable monitoring of pressure and other hemodynamic properties before, during, and/or after a cardiac procedure. A guide catheter includes a routing lumen or a routing groove for routing a sensor wire to a desired location during a cardiac procedure. A guide catheter includes one or more pressure sensors positioned to provide desired pressure measurements when the guide catheter is deploying an interventional device. An interventional device may also include one or more associated sensors for providing hemodynamic information before, during, and/or after deployment.

A drug delivery catheter suited for cardiac procedures. The catheter includes a distal helical coil or other fixation and penetrating element which can be operated from the proximal end of the catheter to engage and penetrate the myocardium. Once delivered to the inside of the heart, the catheter can be used to inject small doses of therapeutic agents to the myocardium. The drug delivery system of the catheter allows for precise control of the dose injected into the heart wall.

A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are coupled to a pair of master handles by a controller. The handles can be moved by the surgeon to produce a corresponding movement of the end effectors. The movement of the handles is scaled so that the end effectors have a corresponding movement that is different, typically smaller, than the movement performed by the hands of the surgeon. The scale factor is adjustable so that the surgeon can control the resolution of the end effector movement. The movement of the end effector can be controlled by an input button, so that the end effector only moves when the button is depressed by the surgeon. The input button allows the surgeon to adjust the position of the handles without moving the end effector, so that the handles can be moved to a more comfortable position. The robotic arm may contain a passive joint that provides an additional degree of freedom. Additionally, the system may include a disconnect input device that decouples the arm from an input device such as the handles.

Methods for using blood pumps to treat heart failure are disclosed. The pump is mounted on an interior of a stent, and the stent is releasably mounted on a distal end of a catheter. The distal end of the catheter is inserted into a peripheral artery and advanced to position at a region of interest within the descending aorta, the ascending aorta, or the left ventricle. The stent and the pump are released from the catheter, and the pump is activated to increase blood flow downstream of the pump. The pump can also be positioned in the vena cava or used to treat right-sided heart failure following the insertion of an LVAD, or to improve venous return in patients with varicose veins. Non-stent pumps are described for insertion between the pulmonary vein and aorta, and between the vena cava and pulmonary artery designed for use during cardiac surgery.

Devices and methods for filtering blood. The devices generally comprise a mesh for filtering blood flowing within a blood vessel, particularly within an artery such as the aorta, a structure adapted to open and close the mesh within the blood vessel, and a means to actuate the structure. The methods generally include the steps of introducing a mesh into a blood vessel to entrap embolic material, and removing the mesh and the entrapped foreign matter from the blood vessel.

A method of planning a patient-specific cardiac procedure according to an embodiment of the current invention includes receiving three-dimensional imaging data of a patient's heart, simulating at least one of electrophysiological or electromechanical activity of at least a portion of the patient's heart using the three-dimensional imaging data, and planning the patient-specific cardiac procedure based on the simulating. The cardiac procedure is for providing a preselected alteration of at least one of electrophysiological or electromechanical behavior of the patient's heart.

Systems and methods are provided for predicting the onset of postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) from electrocardiogram (ECG) data representing a patient. A signal processing component determines parameters representing the activity of the heart of the patient from the ECG data. A feature extraction component calculates a plurality of features useful in predicting postoperative AF from the determined parameters. A classification component determines an AF index for the patient from the calculated plurality of features. The AF index represents the likelihood that the patient will experience AF.

One implementation provides a method to provide injection procedure information in an injection system. In this implementation, the method includes displaying a plurality of different injection procedure options in a user interface of said system, wherein said plurality of different injection procedure options including a cardiac procedure option and a non-cardiac procedure option. The method further includes receiving a user selection of an injection procedure from said displayed plurality of different injection procedure options, processing a default set of injection parameters based upon said selected injection procedure, and displaying said default set of injection parameters within the user interface of the system prior to an injection.

Natural and/or synthetic materials to form a strong barrier between the skeletal system and the great vessels. In the preferred embodiments, a natural or synthetic material is used to prevent scar tissue from forming around the vessels and/or to act as barrier placed between the vessels and the skeletal system, including the spine. Devices according to the invention may also be used over the dura and nerves following laminectomy procedures, between the sternum and the pericardium or heart following cardiac procedures, in intra-abdominal procedures such as intestinal or vascular surgery, over the brain in intra-cranial surgery, over the ovaries or other organs or tissues in the female genitourinary system, over the prostate or other organ or tissues in the male genitourinary system, or in other surgeries on humans or animals.

Single filter and multi-filter endolumenal methods and systems for filtering fluids within the body. In some embodiments a blood filtering system captures and removes particulates dislodged or generated during a surgical procedure and circulating in a patient's vasculature. In some embodiments a filter system protects the cerebral vasculature during a cardiac valve repair or replacement procedure.

Described herein are methods and apparatus for approximating targeted tissue by intertwining two or more sutures together. The sutures are attached to the targeted tissue and routed to a twister device. The twister device secures end portions of the sutures and twists them to intertwine the sutures. Controlling the number of twists provides control over the forces applied to the targeted tissue. In conjunction with visualization feedback, real-time adjustments can be made to achieved targeted results, such as elimination of mitral regurgitation when the disclosed methods and apparatus are applied to mitral valve repair.

Described herein are methods and apparatus for approximating targeted tissue using locking sutures. The locking sutures can be configured to receive suture ends that are interweaved through portions of the locking sutures. In a pre-deployment configuration, a locking suture can slide along suture tails and can be positioned at a target location within a target region. Once a desired position and/or tension is achieved, the locking suture can be transitioned to a post-deployment configuration where the locking suture constricts around the suture tails to inhibit relative movement between the suture tails and the locking suture.