1048 results about "Tunica intima" patented technology

An electrophysiology catheter and method of use for mapping and ablation procedures. The catheter includes a braided conductive member at its distal end that can be radially expanded. The catheter can be used in endocardial and epicardial mapping and ablation procedures.

Prosthetic devices as described for use in the treatment of aortic stenosis in the aortic valve of a patient's heart, the prosthetic device having a compressed state for transarterial delivery and being expandable to an expanded state for implantation. The prosthetic device includes an expandable metal base (10) constructed so as to be implantable in the expanded state of the prosthetic device in the aortic annulus of the aortic valve; and an inner envelope lining (11) tune inner surface of the metal base (10). The inner envelope, in the expanded state of the prosthetic device, extends into the aorta and is of a diverging conical configuration, in which its diameter gradually increases from its proximal end within the aortic annulus to its distal end extending into the aorta, such as to produce, during systole, a non-turbulent blood flow into the aorta with pressure recovery at the distal end of the inner envelope. Preferably, the distal end includes a prosthetic valve which is also concurrently implanted, but such a prosthetic valve may be implanted separately in the aorta Also described are preferred methods of implanting such prosthetic devices.

A drug and drug delivery system may be utilized in the treatment of vascular disease. A local delivery system is coated with rapamycin or other suitable drug, agent or compound and delivered intraluminally for the treatment and prevention of neointimal hyperplasia following percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography. The local delivery of the drugs or agents provides for increased effectiveness and lower systemic toxicity.

Devices and methods are provided for creating lesions in endocardial tissues surrounding a vessel opening to thereby isolate focal arrhythmia substrates, including an invasive catheter assembly comprising an elongate body having a longitudinal axis and first and second lumens, a first catheter having a distally mounted expandable anchor body disposed in the first lumen, and a second catheter having a distally mounted electrode disposed in the second lumen, the elongate body having a first distal opening accessing the first lumen through which the first catheter may be extended axially relative to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body and a second distal opening accessing the second lumen through which the second catheter may be extended at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the elongate body. The disclosed invention also includes an elongate catheter having an expandable electrode body mounted on one end, wherein the electrode body is configured to form an enlarged circumferential region when expanded, the enlarged circumferential region defining a distal facing surface of the electrode body, the distal facing surface including an area configured to emit radio frequency (RF) energy.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a system for occluding a left atrial appendage of a patient. Some embodiments of the system can include a ring occluder that can be positioned around the left atrial appendage and a ring applicator to position the ring occluder with respect to the left atrial appendage. One embodiment discloses a method of accessing endocardial surfaces of the heart through the atrial appendage. Additional embodiments of the invention provide a clip occluder that can be positioned around the left atrial appendage. A clip applicator can position the clip occluder with respect to the left atrial appendage.

A system for mapping electrical activity of a patient's heart includes a set of electrodes spaced from the heart wall and a set of electrodes in contact with the heart wall. Voltage measurements from the electrodes are used to generate three-dimensional and two-dimensional maps of the electrical activity of the heart.

A system that interfaces with a workstation endocardial mapping system allows for the rapid and successful ablation of cardiac tissue. The system allows a physician to see a representation of the physical location of a catheter in a representation of an anatomic model of the patient's heart. The workstation is the primary interface with the physician. A servo catheter having pull wires and pull rings for guidance and a servo catheter control system are interfaced with the workstation. Servo catheter control software may run on the workstation. The servo catheter is coupled to an RF generator. The physician locates a site for ablation therapy and confirms the location of the catheter. Once the catheter is located at the desired ablation site, the physician activates the RF generator to deliver the therapy.

A mapping catheter is positioned in a heart chamber, and active electrode sites are activated to impose an electric field within the chamber. The blood volume and wall motion modulates the electric field, which is detected by passive electrode sites on the preferred catheter. Electrophysiology measurements, as well as geometry measurements, are taken from the passive electrodes and used to display a map of intrinsic heart activity.

The invention provides an apparatus having a tubular member for receiving an endocardial lead implanted within a patient's body. Disposed generally at a distal end of the tubular member is at least one blade or cutting surface. An adjustment mechanism moves the blade between retracted and extended positions to engage the cutting surface with the endocardial lead to cut the lead. Once severed, the cut portion of the lead remains within an inner channel of the tubular member and the apparatus and cut portion of the lead are removed from within the patient. Various embodiments include the blade pivotally connected to the distal end of the tubular member and activated by a wire adjustment mechanism. Others include a metallic wire for slicing through the lead. Still others include a pneumatically actuated adjustment mechanism that inflates to move the blade and engage the cutting surface with the lead.

A method and a device for improving cardiac function are provided. The device is packaged in a collapsed state in an end of a catheter. Portions of a frame construction of the device spring outwardly when the catheter is withdrawn from the device. Anchoring formations on the frame construction secure the frame construction to a myocardium of the heart. A membrane secured to the frame construction then forms a division between volumes of an endocardial cavity of the heart on opposing sides of the membrane.

Post-interventional neointimal hyperplasia in arteries is treated by the application of ultrasonic energy. Usually, an intravascular catheter having an interface surface is positioned at a target site in the artery which has previously been treated. The interface surface is vibrationally excited to apply energy to the arterial wall in a manner which inhibits smooth muscle cell proliferation in the neointimal layer.

Embodiments disclose a method for repairing a heart of a human. A method may include introducing a collapsed reinforcing element through the skin into the vascular system of the human. The method may include delivering the reinforcing element into a left ventricle through the arteries. Once inside the left ventricle, the reinforcing element may be expanded to an expanded shape. In certain embodiments, a reinforcing element may be used to structurally reinforce a portion of an endocardial surface of a heart. The reinforcing element may include a preshaped patch and / or a plurality of preshaped flexible conduits. The method may include deploying the reinforcing element soon after a myocardial infarction to inhibit naturally occurring remodeling of the heart. The reinforcing element may be deployed with or without the use of a shaper. In some embodiments, a reinforcement element may be positioned on / coupled to an external surface of a human heart. In some embodiments, a reinforcing element may include an externally positioned apparatus configured to substantially reshape a portion of an interior chamber of a heart.

The present invention is directed to apparatus and methods for treating a vascular occlusion by providing an infusion catheter having an atraumatic tip and at least one delivery port configured to infuse fluid into the occlusion. The fluid that is infused dilutes the occlusion and reduces adhesion of the occlusion to an intima of the vessel wall, thereby causing the occlusion to dislodge. Emboli generated in the process are directed into an emboli removal catheter for removal.

Restenosis or neointimal formation may occur following angioplasty or other trauma to an artery such as by-pass surgery. This presents a major clinical problem which narrows the artery. The invention provides a balloon catheter with a particular electrode configuration. Also provided is a method whereby vascular cells in the area of the artery subjected to the trauma are subjected to irreversible electroporation which is a non-thermal, non-pharmaceutical method of applying electrical pulses to the cells so that substantially all of the cells in the area are ablated while leaving the structure of the vessel in place and substantially unharmed due to the non-thermal nature of the procedure.

A method and a device for improving cardiac function are provided. The device is packaged in a collapsed state in an end of a catheter. Portions of a frame construction of the device spring outwardly when the catheter is withdrawn from the device. Anchoring formations on the frame construction secure the frame construction to a myocardium of the heart. A membrane secured to the frame construction then forms a division between volumes of an endocardial cavity of the heart on opposing sides of the membrane.

Restenosis or neointimal formation may occur following angioplasty or other trauma to an artery such as by-pass surgery. This presents a major clinical problem which narrows the artery. The invention provides a device and a method whereby vascular cells in the area of the artery subjected to the trauma are subjected to irreversible electroporation which is a non-thermal, non-pharmaceutical method of applying electrical pulses to the cells so that substantially all of the cells in the area are ablated while leaving the structure of the vessel in place and substantially unharmed due to the non-thermal nature of the procedure.

Some embodiments of the invention provide a system for occluding a left atrial appendage of a patient. Some embodiments of the system can include a ring occluder that can be positioned around the left atrial appendage and a ring applicator to position the ring occluder with respect to the left atrial appendage. One embodiment discloses a method of accessing endocardial surfaces of the heart through the atrial appendage. Additional embodiments of the invention provide a clip occluder that can be positioned around the left atrial appendage. A clip applicator can position the clip occluder with respect to the left atrial appendage.

A system (10) for determining electrical potentials on an endocardial surface of a heart is provided. The system includes a non-contact, non-expandable, miniature, multi-electrode catheter probe (12), a plurality of electrodes (32) disposed on an end portion (30) thereof, means for determining endocardial potentials (14) based on electrical potentials measured by the catheter probe, a matrix of coefficients that is generated based on a geometric relationship between the probe surface, and the endocardial surface. A method is also provided.

Apparatus and methods are provided for excluding and reducing the volume of the left atrial appendage (“LAA”) by deploying a first tissue capture element in contact with the pericardium and a second tissue capture element in engagement with the endocardial surface adjacent to the ostium of the LAA, such that the LAA tissue is retained in a collapsed, reduced volume state therebetween. Methods of using the apparatus of the present invention to reduce or occlude the LAA also are provided.

An atrial ablation catheter and methods for its use. The endocardial catheter includes an electrode array particularly adapted to locate and ablate foci of arrhythmia which are required for sustained atrial fibrillation is provided. The array is easily deployed and retracted from the catheter, and presents a distally oriented electrode array that can be pressed against the wall of the atrium.

A system and method for cardiac mapping and ablation include a multi-electrode catheter introduced percutaneously into a subject's heart and deployable adjacent to various endocardial sites. The electrodes are connectable to a mapping unit, an ablation power unit a pacing unit, all of which are under computer control. Intracardiac electrogram signals emanated from a tachycardia site of origin are detectable by the electrodes. Their arrival times are processed to generate various visual maps to provide real-time guidance for steering the catheter to the tachycardia site of origin. In another aspect, the system also include a physical imaging system which is capable of providing different imaged physical views of the catheter and the heart. These physical views are incorporated into the various visual maps to provide a more physical representation. Once the electrodes are on top of the tachycardia site of origin, electrical energy is supplied by the ablation power unit to effect ablation.

An endocardial apparatus for pacing four chambers of a heart, comprising: a power source housed in an implantable can, first, second and third leads having proximal and distal ends, each lead being electrically connected to the power source at its proximal end and extending into a vein proximal the heart, the first lead connecting at its distal end to an electrode that is in electrical contact with the right atrium of the heart, the second lead connecting at its distal end to an electrode that is in electrical contact with the right ventricle of the heart, the third lead connecting at a point proximal its distal end to a first electrode that is in electrical contact with the inside of the coronary sinus and oriented so as to stimulate the left atrium of the heart and connecting at its distal end to a second electrode that is in electrical contact with the inside of the great cardiac vein and oriented so as to stimulate the left ventricle of the heart. Devices are also disclosed for orienting and maintaining the position of the electrodes on the third lead.

Disclosed are a means and method for rapidly and accurately positioning a toroidal balloon with its distal surface placed tightly against the endocardial surface of the left atrium at a location that is close to the ostium of a pulmonary vein. On the exterior surface of the toroidal balloon can be an electrically conducting wire that is capable of causing rf energy to be placed into the tissue of the left atrium so as to ablate that tissue to alter the conduction of aberrant electrical signals of the heart that are associated with atrial fibrillation. The toroidal balloon is wrapped circumferentially around a tapered balloon that is placed into the pulmonary vein. This system can be applied successively to at least one or as many as all four of the pulmonary veins that enter the left atrium to treat the patient's atrial fibrillation.

An occlusion bypassing apparatus for re-entering the true lumen of a vessel after subintimally bypassing an occlusion in a vessel. The apparatus includes an outer shaft component, a needle component, and an inflatable balloon. The outer shaft component has a side port proximal to a distal end thereof and a needle lumen there-through that includes a curved distal portion that terminates at the side port of the outer shaft component. The needle component is configured to be slidably disposed within the needle lumen of the outer shaft component. The inflatable balloon includes a body portion that is disposed distal to the side port of the outer shaft component, and the body portion of the balloon has a flattened profile in an inflated state with first and second chambers that laterally extend from opposing sides of the outer shaft component for stabilizing the apparatus within a subintimal space.

Stents and methods of using stents are provided. Stents of the invention provide external support structure for a blood vessel segment disposed within, wherein the stents are capable of resilient radial expansion in a manner mimicking the compliance properties of an artery. The stent may be formed of a knitted or braided mesh formed so as to provide the needed compliance properties. A venous graft with the stent and a vein segment disposed within is provided, wherein graft is capable of mimicking the compliance properties of an artery. Methods of selecting stents for downsizing and methods of using the stents of the invention in downsizing and smoothening are provided. Methods of replacing a section of an artery with a venous graft including a stent of the invention are provided. Methods of reducing intimal hyperplasia in implanted vein segment in a venous graft using stents of the invention are provided.

An intraluminal medical device comprises a stent having a coating applied to at least part of an interior surface, an exterior surface, or both. The coating comprises a sustained release formulation of a combination of pharmaceutical compounds dispersed within a biologically tolerated polymer composition. The choice of the combination of pharmaceutical compounds are intended to reduce neointimal hyperplasia restenosis.

Endocardial pressure measurement devices, systems and methods for the effective treatment of congestive heart failure and its underlying causes, in addition to other clinical applications.

A system and method for cardiac mapping and ablation include a multi-electrode catheter introduced percutaneously into a subject's heart and deployable adjacent to various endocardial sites. The electrodes are connectable to a mapping unit, an ablation power unit a pacing unit, all of which are under computer control. Intracardiac electrogram signals emanated from a tachycardia site of origin are detectable by the electrodes. Their arrival times are processed to generate various visual maps to provide real-time guidance for steering the catheter to the tachycardia site of origin. In another aspect, the system also include a physical imaging system which is capable of providing different imaged physical views of the catheter and the heart. These physical views are incorporated into the various visual maps to provide a more physical representation. Once the electrodes are on top of the tachycardia site of origin, electrical energy is supplied by the ablation power unit to effect ablation.