Abstract: A medical system may include a shaft member and a structure physically coupled to the shaft member. A portion of the shaft member may be sized to be delivered through a bodily opening leading to a bodily cavity. The structure may include at least two flexible couplings, each flexible coupling extending transversely from an intermediate portion of a respective one of at least two elongate members of the structure. The flexible coupling extending transversely from the intermediate portion of a first one of the at least two elongate members forms at least a part of a first closed loop arranged to receive a portion of the flexible coupling of a second one of the at least two elongate members therethrough to limit a spacing between the intermediate portions of the first and the second ones of the at least two elongate members.

Abstract: A device, kit and method may employ an implantable device (e.g., annuloplasty implant) and a tool to implant such. The implantable device is positionable in a cavity of a bodily organ (e.g., a heart) and operable to constrict a bodily orifice (e.g., a mitral valve). Tissue anchors are guided into precise position by an intravascularly deployed anchor guide frame and embedded in an annulus. Constriction of the orifice may be accomplished via a variety of structures, for example by cinching a flexible cable or anchored annuloplasty ring, the cable or ring attached to the tissue anchors. The annuloplasty ring may be delivered in a generally elongated configuration, and implanted in an anchored generally arch, arcuate or annular configuration. Such may move a posterior leaflet anteriorly and an anterior leaflet posteriorly, improving leaflet coaptation to eliminate mitral regurgitation.

Abstract: Some aspects of this disclosure generally are related to improving the robustness of a flexible circuit structure, for example, by providing fault-tolerant electrical pathways for flow of electric current through the flexible circuit structure. In some embodiments, such fault tolerance is enhanced by way of a conductive mesh provided between an adjacent pair of resistive elements. Some aspects are related to improved voltage, current, or voltage and current measurement associated with various pairs of adjacent resistive elements at least when the various pairs have differing distances between them.

Abstract: A device for closing at least one opening leading to an anatomical cavity is delivered via a catheter positioned in a first opening leading to the anatomical cavity. An orientation control unit is positioned within the anatomical cavity. The orientation control unit defines an orientation of a portion of a tissue surface within the anatomical cavity that is skewed with respect to the first opening and orients a closure member of the device with the tissue surface. An occluding member and a constricting unit of the device are positioned within the anatomical cavity with the occluding member blocking a portion of an opening that is constricted by the constricting unit. An intermediate member of the device is positioned within the anatomical cavity and a closure unit employing at least one piercing element pierces through the intermediate member into a tissue wall surrounding the anatomical cavity.

Abstract: A catheter sheath device may include an elongate member and a moveable member. The elongate member may include a first lumen, and the moveable member may include a second lumen. The moveable member may be physically coupled to a portion of the elongate member to permit relative movement therebetween. A first relative movement between the moveable member and the portion of the elongate member may cause the second lumen to be positioned at a first location that permits delivery of at least a portion of a catheter into the second lumen but not into the first lumen from the second lumen. A second relative movement between the moveable member and the portion of the elongate member may cause the second lumen to be positioned at a second location that permits delivery of the at least the portion of the catheter through both the second lumen and the first lumen.

Abstract: Transducer-based systems and methods may be configured to display a graphical representation of a transducer-based device, the graphical representation including graphical elements corresponding to transducers of the transducer-based device, and also including between graphical elements respectively associated with a set of the transducers and respectively associated with a region of space between the transducers of the transducer-based device. Selection of graphical elements and/or between graphical elements can cause activation of the set of transducers associated with the selected elements. Transducer activation characteristics, such as initiation time, activation duration, activation sequence, and energy delivery characteristics, can vary based on numerous factors. Visual characteristics of graphical elements and between graphical elements can change based on an activation-status of the corresponding transducers.

Abstract: Some aspects of this disclosure generally are related to improving the robustness of a flexible circuit structure, for example, by providing fault-tolerant electrical pathways for flow of electric current through the flexible circuit structure. In some embodiments, such fault tolerance is enhanced by way of a conductive mesh provided between an adjacent pair of resistive elements. Some aspects are related to improved voltage, current, or voltage and current measurement associated with various pairs of adjacent resistive elements at least when the various pairs have differing distances between them.

Abstract: A device positionable in a cavity of a bodily organ (e.g., a heart) may discriminate between fluid (e.g., blood) and non-fluid tissue (e.g., wall of heart) to provide information or a mapping indicative of a position and/or orientation of the device in the cavity. Discrimination may be based on flow, or some other characteristic, for example electrical permittivity or force. The device may selectively ablate portions of the non-fluid tissue based on the information or mapping. The device may detect characteristics (e.g., electrical potentials) indicative of whether ablation was successful. The device may include a plurality of transducers, intravascularly guided in an unexpanded configuration and positioned proximate the non-fluid tissue in an expanded configuration. Expansion mechanism may include helical member(s) or inflatable member(s).

Abstract: A manipulable portion of a catheter system advances out of a lumen of a catheter sheath at a distal end of a shaft, which is also within the lumen of the catheter sheath. The catheter system causes different advancement and retraction trajectories of a manipulable portion out of and into the lumen based at least upon different relative movements between the catheter sheath and the shaft. A projection and a corresponding receiver may be used to control relative positioning of the catheter sheath and the shaft, as well as to control positioning of the manipulable portion. The catheter system may control metering rates of a control element coupled to the manipulable portion during advancement and retraction of the manipulable portion. A control element of the catheter system has varying amounts of length outside a distal end of the catheter sheath during advancement and retraction of the manipulable portion.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a plurality of transducers of a transducer-based device may be selected for activation. A first pair of subsets of the selected transducers may be identified for initial activation, each subset of the first pair being activated with a different phase angle range than the other. No transducer in one subset is sufficiently close to a transducer in the other subset to cause a confluence of ablated tissue regions therebetween. The first pair of subsets may be activated simultaneously or concurrently. Upon activation or a conclusion thereof of the pair of subsets of the selected transducers, one or more subsequent pairs of subsets of the selected transducers may be activated iteratively on a pair-by-pair basis, until all of the selected transducers have achieved desired activation results, according to some embodiments. Each subsequent pair may include the same or similar characteristics as the first pair.

Abstract: Transducer-based systems can be configured to display a graphical representation of a transducer-based device, the graphical representation including graphical elements corresponding to transducers of the transducer-based device, and also including between graphical elements respectively associated with a set of the transducers and respectively associated with a region of space between the transducers of the transducer-based device. Selection of graphical elements and/or between graphical elements can cause activation of the set of transducers associated with the selected elements. Selection of a plurality of graphical elements and/or between graphical elements can cause visual display of a corresponding activation path in the graphical representation. Visual characteristics of graphical elements and between graphical elements can change based on an activation-status of the corresponding transducers.

Abstract: A graphical path, which may illustrate a proposed transducer-activation path, may be defined in accordance with first user input, which places a first user input element in an activated state, motion-based user input, and second user input, which places the first user input element in a deactivated state. The graphical path may be displayed as including transducer graphical elements, between-transducer graphical elements, or both, and may be displayed among at least one graphical representation of intra-cardiac information. Activation of transducers corresponding to transducer graphical elements included in the graphical path may be initiated during or after completion of the definition of the graphical path. Such activation may include the transmission of energy sufficient for tissue ablation along an ablation path corresponding to the graphical path.

Abstract: Some aspects of this disclosure generally are related to improving the robustness of a flexible circuit structure, for example, by providing fault-tolerant electrical pathways for flow of electric current through the flexible circuit structure. In some embodiments, such fault tolerance is enhanced by way of a conductive mesh provided between an adjacent pair of resistive elements. Some aspects are related to improved voltage, current, or voltage and current measurement associated with various pairs of adjacent resistive elements at least when the various pairs have differing distances between them.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices allow percutaneous mapping, orientation and/or ablation in bodily cavities or lumens. Such may include a structure that is percutaneously positionable in a cavity, such as an intra-cardiac cavity of a heart. Transducers carried by the structure are responsive to blood flow. For example, the transducers may sense temperature, temperature being related to convective cooling caused by blood flow. A controller discerns positional information or location, based on signals from the transducers. For example, blood flow may be greater and/or faster proximate a port in cardiac tissue than proximate tissue spaced from the port. Position information may allow precise ablation of selected tissue, for example tissue surround a port in the intra-cardiac cavity.

Abstract: Intra-cardiac voltage data display systems display a plurality of data sets derived at least from intra-cardiac voltage data sampled by an electrode. In some embodiments, at least some of the data sets are derived from a portion of the intra-cardiac voltage data that excludes an excludable portion of the intra-cardiac voltage data having a relationship with an occurrence of a particular cardiac event to facilitate identification of the existence of a transmural lesion in tissue adjacent the electrode. In some embodiments, the particular cardiac event is the occurrence of an R wave in the cardiac cycle, and the excludable portion is a V wave in the cardiac cycle.

Abstract: A medical system may include a shaft member and a structure physically coupled to the shaft member. A portion of the shaft member may be sized to be delivered through a bodily opening leading to a bodily cavity. The structure may include at least two flexible couplings, each flexible coupling extending transversely from an intermediate portion of a respective one of at least two elongate members of the structure. The flexible coupling extending transversely from the intermediate portion of a first one of the at least two elongate members forms at least a part of a first closed loop arranged to receive a portion of the flexible coupling of a second one of the at least two elongate members therethrough to limit a spacing between the intermediate portions of the first and the second ones of the at least two elongate members.

Abstract: Some aspects of this disclosure generally are related to improving the robustness of a flexible circuit structure, for example, by providing fault-tolerant electrical pathways for flow of electric current through the flexible circuit structure. In some embodiments, such fault tolerance is enhanced by way of a conductive mesh provided between an adjacent pair of resistive elements. Some aspects are related to improved voltage, current, or voltage and current measurement associated with various pairs of adjacent resistive elements at least when the various pairs have differing distances between them.

Abstract: A device, kit and method may include or employ an implantable device (e.g., annuloplasty implant) and a plurality of tissue anchors. The implantable device is positionable in a cavity of a bodily organ (e.g., a heart) and operable to constrict a bodily orifice (e.g., a mitral valve). Each of the tissue anchors may be guided into precise position by an intravascularly or percutaneously techniques. Constriction of the orifice may be accomplished via a variety of structures, for example an articulated annuloplasty ring, the ring attached to the tissue anchors. The annuloplasty ring may be delivered in an unanchored, generally elongated configuration, and implanted in an anchored generally arched, arcuate or annular configuration. Such may approximate the septal and lateral (clinically referred to as anterior and posterior) annulus of the mitral valve, to move the posterior leaflet anteriorly and the anterior leaflet posteriorly, thereby improving leaflet coaptation to reduce mitral regurgitation.

Abstract: An intra-cardiac mapping system is based on locating the ports through which blood flows in or out the heart chambers. For many procedures, such as ablation to cure atrial fibrillation, locating the pulmonary veins and the mitral valve accurately allows to perform a Maze procedure. The location of the ports and valves is based on using the convective cooling effect of the blood flow. The mapping can be performed by a catheter-deployed expandable net or a scanning catheter. The same net or catheter can also perform the ablation procedure.

Abstract: Some aspects of this disclosure generally are related to improving the robustness of a flexible circuit structure, for example, by providing fault-tolerant electrical pathways for flow of electric current through the flexible circuit structure. In some embodiments, such fault tolerance is enhanced by way of a conductive mesh provided between an adjacent pair of resistive elements. Some aspects are related to improved voltage, current, or voltage and current measurement associated with various pairs of adjacent resistive elements at least when the various pairs have differing distances between them.