Abstract: A burr hole drill guide preferably includes a guide body having a guide passage that allows a drill bit to enter. Once the user has aligned the drill bit to the desired orientation, the guide can be lifted upwards, allowing a gap to pass over an upper, narrow attachment region of the drill bit and moved elsewhere (i.e., away from the procedure). In this respect, the surgeon is aware of the desired drilling angle, but is less restricted and better able to view the drill during the drilling process.

Abstract: An improved medical implant for treating mitral regurgitation is provided. The medical implant comprises proximal and distal anchors connected by a bridge. The medical implant is configured to be delivered into a coronary sinus using a minimially invasive procedure. The bridge is preferably made of a shape memory material which is biased to contract after the implant is delivered. The medical implant further comprises a reinforcement mechanism configured to limit stresses and strains along the length of the bridge. In a preferred embodiment, the reinforcement mechanism is fixed to a plurality of attachment points along the bridge, thereby preventing excessive elongation between any two attachment points. A resorbable material is preferably disposed within gaps along the length of the bridge to temporarily maintain the bridge in an elongated condition.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device for efficiently coupling a pressure monitoring device to a pressure transducer. In addition, the present invention reduces or eliminates the likelihood air will be unintentionally injected into the pressure monitoring device while connecting the pressure monitoring device to a pressure transducer. In one embodiment, the present invention includes a pressure monitoring coupler comprising a sealing member and a device body. The sealing member comprises a sealing flange connected to an engagement member. The engagement member includes a first and second O-ring positioned thereon. The device body comprises a pressurizing lumen and an intersecting monitoring lumen in communication with a receiving aperture. During use, a pressure monitoring catheter is inserted into a patient's tissue. The pressure monitoring catheter and a transducer are connected to the device body of the present invention.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a medical implant, and method for deploying the same, configured for placement in a body lumen such as a coronary sinus, as may be desired to treat a regurgitant mitral valve. The implant includes a proximal anchor, a distal anchor, and an elongate bridge extending between the proximal and distal anchors. The anchors are configured to be delivered to a desired deployment site within the body lumen in a collapsed or contracted condition and then expanded to engage the walls of the body lumen. The bridge is preferably a shape-changing member configured to contract after delivery into the coronary sinus for applying a compressive force to the annulus of the mitral valve. The proximal and distal anchoring mechanisms preferably overlap the proximal and distal end portions of the bridge, thereby providing the implant with a longer bridge having greater contraction.

Abstract: Devices and methods for reshaping a mitral valve annulus are provided. One preferred device is configured for deployment in the right atrium and is shaped to apply a force along the atrial septum. The device causes the atrial septum to deform and push the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve in a posterior direction for reducing mitral valve regurgitation. Another preferred device is deployed in the left ventricular outflow tract at a location adjacent the aortic valve. The device is expandable for urging the anterior leaflet toward the posterior leaflet. Another preferred device comprises a tether configured to be attached to opposing regions of the mitral valve annulus.

Abstract: An improved medical implant for treating mitral regurgitation is provided. The medical implant comprises proximal and distal anchors connected by a bridge. The medical implant is configured to be delivered into a coronary sinus using a minimally invasive procedure. The bridge is preferably made of a shape memory material which is biased to contract after the implant is delivered. The medical implant further comprises a reinforcement mechanism configured to limit stresses and strains along the length of the bridge. In a preferred embodiment, the reinforcement mechanism is fixed to a plurality of attachment points along the bridge, thereby preventing excessive elongation between any two attachment points. A resorbable material is preferably disposed within gaps along the length of the bridge to temporarily maintain the bridge in an elongated condition.

Abstract: A catheter has a pressure sensitive bladder at a distal end and a pressure transducer at a proximal end with the proximal end attached to a mammalian body and the bladder inserted within the mammalian body. The bladder partially filled with a gas responds to pressure changes within the body and the pressure transducer senses the changes via gaseous communication with the bladder. In one embodiment, the bladder is inserted in a human brain with the transducer mounted on a bolt affixed to the skull. Initial dissection of the brain tissue is effected by over-inflation of the bladder by a manual piston pump or a blunt ended slender rod. The transducer may be mounted on a bolt inserted within a hole drilled in the skull. An antimicrobial agent may be dispersed from openings in a seal between the bolt and the skull, from a porous seal, or from a ribbed or threaded outer surface of the bolt.

Abstract: A storage and dispensing apparatus for a springy guide wire used in medical procedures includes a coiled tubular portion defined by elongate tubing with a bore for receiving the guide wire. A ring section includes a tangential portion of the tubing defining an open end from which the guide wire may be dispensed. Adjacent to the tangential portion, the tubing defines a pair of spaced apart openings from which the guide wire respectively exits and reenters the tubing. Intermediate the pair of openings the tubing defines a curved external surface across which the guide wire runs externally of the tubing and is manually accessible for advancing and retracting movements impelled by a user's thumb, for example. The guide wire defines a pair of gentle S-shaped bends adjacent to the ends of the externally-exposed curved section, which bends cause the guide wire to engage sufficiently with the storage and dispensing apparatus to resist self-ejection.