Abstract: A blood pump, such as an axial flow pump, having a pump housing, the pump housing defining a flow path and having a tapered portion adjacent to an outlet, tapering toward the outlet, an outflow cannula connected to the outlet of the pump housing, and an impeller and diffuser, disposed in the pump housing, the diffuser having a tapered body corresponding to the tapered portion of the pump housing, the diffuser body having at least one vane extending therefrom, the vein tapering in the same direction as the diffuser body. The present invention also includes a method of manufacturing the blood pump and a method of implanting the blood pump.

Abstract: A device for evacuating a surgical site of a patient includes a container that defines a first end having a surgical site engaging surface and a second end having a pressure source engaging surface. The first end defines a tapered cross-section configured for being engageably received within an opening at the surgical site. In operation, vacuum pressure is applied to the second end in order to create a vacuum within the container to evacuate fluids from the surgical site.

Abstract: One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system for treating obstructive sleep apnea in a subject. The system can include a power source and a neuromuscular stimulator in electrical communications with the power source. The neuromuscular stimulator can include a controller and at least one electrode. The controller can be configured to receive certain power and stimulation parameters associated with a therapy signal from the power source. The at least one electrode can be configured to deliver the therapy signal to a target tissue associated with control of a posterior base of the tongue of the subject.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are an implant with a suture passage and a method of attaching sutures to the same. The implant may include a suture pocket having a first pocket, a second pocket, and a suture hole disposed therebetween. The first pocket may have a first wall segment, the second pocket may have a second wall segment, and the suture hole may have a first sidewall segment extending from a first opening to a second opening. The first wall segment, the second wall segment, and the first sidewall segment may form a contiguous wall. A method of attaching a suture to the implant may include placing a tip of a suture needle on the first wall segment, sliding the suture needle into the first opening and pushing the suture needle through the suture hole.

Abstract: An implant can be used for the treatment of fat pad atrophy. The implant can be installed in the ball of the foot, the heel of the foot, the hands, or other areas. The implant can supplement or replace a patient's fat pads. In some instances, the implant can include an implant pad having a non-permeable external lining and an internal cavity enclosed by the external lining. The internal cavity can include a filler material. The implant can include features that resist rupture and/or migration.

Abstract: An implant and method for repairing and/or replacing functionality of a native mitral valve are in various embodiments configured to reduce or eliminate mitral regurgitation and residual mitral valve leakage. A coiled anchor with a central turn that reduces in size upon implantation is used to approximate the amount of reduction in the size and the reshaping of the native mitral annulus to reduce valve leakage. A clip can be further applied to the native valve leaflets to reduce the size of the native mitral annulus and leakage therethrough. A prosthetic heart valve can be implanted in the coiled anchor to replace and further improve functionality of the valve. In some cases, the prosthetic valve can be implanted in a clipped valve, where the clip is detached from one of the native valve leaflets to provide space for the prosthetic valve to expand.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides tissue products produced from extracellular tissue matrices. The tissue products can include acellular extracellular matrices including combinations of different tissue types. The combination can harness various properties of the different tissues to provide improved composite structures with desired mechanical and/or biologic properties.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are patient-specific facial or craniofacial implants structured for filling bone voids in the cranium and face as well as for simultaneously providing soft tissue reconstruction and/or augmentation for improved aesthetic symmetry and appearance of face and skull. Pterional or temporal voids or defects generally result from a chronic skull or lateral facial deformity along with a compromised temporalis muscle or soft tissue distortion from previous surgery. When muscle atrophy occurs in the pterion or temporal face, temporal hollowing deformity generally results where there would be soft tissue but for the atrophy. The patient-specific temporal implants with dual-purpose herein are configured to have an augmented region adjacent the temporal region of the face and cranium in order to prevent and/or correct any such temporal hollowing deformity.

Abstract: Implant apparatus and methods are directed toward treating conditions involving the knee joint, and the patella specifically, maintain alignment or address misalignment of a patella through a full range of motion of the knee joint Exemplary devices include an elastomeric, Y-shaped device which is secured to the femur and patella on opposite ends thereof by bone anchors. The elastomeric device can be either rotatably or non-rotatably connected to the bone anchors.

Abstract: An implant includes a hollow biocompatible shell, first and second electrodes, filling material, and circuitry. The hollow biocompatible shell is configured to be implanted in an organ of a patient. The first electrode is disposed inside the shell. The second electrode has at least one surface disposed outside the shell. The filling material, which includes carbon nanotubes (CNT), fills the shell and is configured, in response to a rupture occurring in the shell, to change a spatial orientation of the CNT and thus to cause a change in electrical conductivity of the filling material between the first electrode and the rupture. The circuitry is electrically connected to the first and second electrodes and is configured to detect the rupture by sensing the change in the electrical conductivity of the CNT, and to produce an output indicative of the detected rupture.

Abstract: A prosthetic heart valve (10) which includes a stent (14) having three leaflets (12) attached thereto is provided. The stent (14) is compressible so as to be capable of being introduced into a patient's body through a minimally invasive procedure and has a ring-like body (16) defining in its height three arch-shaped elements (18). Each element (18) includes an arc (20) and a pair of haunches (22) extending from opposite sides thereof, with three commissural posts (26) formed by the haunches (22) of adjacent elements (18). The leaflets (12) each have an attachment edge (28) and a free edge (30) with a belly (32) extending therebetween. The leaflets (12) are movable between a coapted condition, in which the free edges (30) abut and prevent fluid flow through the valve (10), and an open condition, in which fluid flow through the valve (10) is permitted. The leaflets (12) are made from a polymeric material and are moulded directly onto the stent (14) so as to provide for continuous attachment thereof.

Abstract: Described is a group of polymeric calcific heart valves with different levels of calcification that can be used for research and development studies related to transcatheter heart valve technologies. Using a heart flow simulator, the valves' function was studied in aortic position in the presence or absence of an implanted transcatheter aortic valve (valve-in-valve). Through multiple experiments based on echocardiography, it was found that these calcific valves can suitably mimic the function of a native calcified stenotic aortic valve and can be used for valve-in-valve studies. Using this novel polymeric calcified valve provides a desired cost-saving solution for testing the performance of new TAVR systems in vitro and in vivo.

Abstract: A surgical implant, which in use, provides a barrier between layers of tissue such that tissue on one side of the implant does not adhere to tissue on the other side, the improvement comprising that the implant is made of suitably anatomically shaped surgically acceptable sheet material.

Abstract: A wearable assistive device may include a main frame provided on a user's waist, a leg assembly that extends from an end of the main frame, and an optional foot support installed at an end of the leg assembly to support the user's foot. The leg assembly may include a leg frame having a first end connected to the main frame and a second end connected to the foot support, and a leg belt mounted on the leg frame. The leg belt may include a belt to secure a leg of the user and a wire winding structure that may include a wire connected to a first end of the belt and a wire winding dispenser on which the wire is wound and which fixes or releases a second end of the belt.

Abstract: A prosthesis may include a stem, a ball stud, an adaptor, and a head. The stem may include a longitudinal axis and a bore having a central axis that is angled relative to the longitudinal axis. The ball stud may include a cylindrical shaft and a ball end. The cylindrical shaft may be received in the bore of the stem. The adaptor may include a tapered outer surface and a ball socket rotatably receiving the ball end of the stud. The head may be rotatably supported by the adaptor and may include a semispherical articulating surface and a female taper rotatably receiving the tapered outer surface of the adaptor.

Abstract: A self-sealing tubular graft is provided for implantation within a patient's body that includes an elongate tubular body including first and second self-sealing cannulation regions and a loop region extending between the first and second cannulation regions. The loop region includes one or more reinforcement members attached to a first length of the loop region and extending at least partially around a circumference of the tubular body. For example, the reinforcement members may include one or more sinusoidal or zigzag members extending along the first length with alternating peaks and valleys extending at least partially around a circumference of the tubular body. Self-sealing patches are also provided that include one or more reinforcement members embedded within base material.

Abstract: An elbow prosthesis according to the present teachings can include a stem structure and an articulating component. The stem structure can be operable to be positioned in a bone of a joint. The stem structure can include a stem portion that is operable to be positioned in the bone and a C-shaped body portion having a first retaining mechanism formed thereon. The articulating component can have a second retaining mechanism formed thereon. One of the first and second retaining mechanisms can comprise an extension portion and a first anti-rotation portion. The other retaining mechanism can comprise a receiving portion and a second anti-rotation portion. The articulating component can be advanced from an insertion position to an assembled position, such that the first and second mechanisms cooperatively interlock to inhibit translation and rotation of the articulating component relative to the C-shaped body portion of the stem structure.

Abstract: Use of an exoskeleton by a wearer of the exoskeleton is improved through several features. In a first feature, the exoskeleton enters a gait therapy preparation mode to prepare the wearer for subsequent gait therapy. In a second feature, the exoskeleton enters a balance training mode to help the wearer learn to balance while wearing the exoskeleton. In a third feature, the exoskeleton prompts the wearer to shift weight and/or automatically shifts the wearer's weight in a center of pressure control mode. In a fourth feature, an element of variability is introduced into trajectory cycles performed by the exoskeleton in a trajectory cycle mode. Overall, the various disclosed operating modes can be used individually or in various combinations to enhance the rehabilitation or training of the wearer.

Abstract: A frame assembly includes a valve body, a plurality of arms that each extend radially outward from the valve body to a respective arm-tip, and a plurality of ventricular legs that are coupled to the valve body and that extend radially outward from the valve body and toward the plurality of arms. A liner lines the lumen. Prosthetic leaflets are attached to the liner within the lumen. A first sheet of flexible material is attached to the plurality of arms. A second sheet of flexible material is attached to the first sheet and extends radially inwards and downstream, and is attached to the valve body. The first sheet, the second sheet, and the liner define an inflatable pouch therebetween. The apparatus defines a plurality of windows from the lumen into the pouch.

Abstract: In some exemplary embodiments, an ankle replacement prosthesis includes a tibial component which provides a convex bearing surface, and a talar component which provides a concave bearing surface configured to interface with the convex bearing surface of the tibial component to provide a joint of the ankle replacement prosthesis. The tibial component is configured to be attached to a patient's tibia and the talar component is configured to be attached to the patient's talus.