Abstract: An intraluminal retractor includes a shapeable element formed by a series of shaping segments. The shaping segments may be associated with one another in a relaxed configuration that imparts the shapeable element with a linear, substantially linear or curvilinear shape to enable its insertion into an interior space within a subject's body. When actuated, the shaping segments may assume a contracted configuration that imparts the shapeable element with a desired shape, which may move an organ within which or against which the shapeable element is positioned, change a path of the organ and/or alter a shape of the organ. Methods for altering the locations, paths and/or shapes of organs are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system for increasing rates at which fluids may be manually forced through injection/aspiration elements, such as catheters and needles, includes the injection/aspiration elements, as well as a syringe including a pair of crossed handles, one associated with the barrel of the syringe, the other associated with the plunger of the syringe, to provide a mechanical advantage. The system may include and injection/aspiration element of small (e.g., 0.052 inch or smaller) inner diameter and small outer diameter (e.g., 5 French or less). Such systems enable the use of a single hand to hold and operate a syringe in a variety or procedures, including angiography, angioplasty, discography, glue/cement injection, and a variety of aspiration procedures (e.g., biopsy, sampling, media removal, etc.).

Abstract: An exoskeleton device is capable of being positioned over an expandable instrument, such as a balloon catheter. The exoskeleton device may include an expandable section that receives an expander of the expandable instrument. Expansion of the expander may cause the expandable section of the exoskeleton device to expand and force the expandable section of the exoskeleton device against a surface to be treated. The expandable section may be capable of scoring the surface against which it is forced.

Abstract: A hand held, hand operated apparatus for rotating, or spinning, rotatably oscillating and/or inducing back and forth longitudinal movement in a device, such as an elongated medical device. A drive shaft of the hand held, hand operated rotational drive apparatus includes a ratcheting mechanism capable of enabling oscillating (repeated forward and reverse) rotation of a device that has been coupled thereto when there is little or no resistance on the rotated device, and of enabling an actuator to return to a position that will enable further forward, or driving, rotation of the drive shaft and the rotated device when resistance on the rotated device prevents the rotated device and the drive shaft from rotating in a reverse direction.

Abstract: A system for infusing fluid into a body of a subject includes an expandable medical device and a balloon catheter. The expandable medical device includes an expandable section that may be expanded and contracted and, when expanded, score a wall of a vessel or another open space within the body of the subject. The balloon catheter includes a balloon that expands when pressurized and can expand the expandable section. When pressure within the balloon is reduced, the expandable section can resiliently contract the balloon. The balloon may be shorter than the expandable section, enabling the balloon to be positioned at a plurality of locations along the length of the expandable section and to expand the expandable section to a plurality of different configurations. The system may be used to limit the flow of infused fluid beyond a target location within the body and/or to force fluid into the target location.

Abstract: An intraluminal retractor includes a shapeable element formed by a series of shaping segments. The shaping segments may be associated with one another in a relaxed configuration that imparts the shapeable element with a linear, substantially linear or curvilinear shape to enable its insertion into an interior space within a subject's body. When actuated, the shaping segments may assume a contracted configuration that imparts the shapeable element with a desired shape, which may move an organ within which or against which the shapeable element is positioned, change a path of the organ and/or alter a shape of the organ. Methods for altering the locations, paths and/or shapes of organs are also disclosed.

Abstract: A rooter includes a rotatable element, an actuator for causing the rotatable element to rotate, and a coupling feature for rotatably coupling an elongated medical instrument to the rotatable element. The rotatable element may be at least partially contained within the interior of a housing or another element that remains substantially stationary as the actuator causes the rotatable element to rotate. The rooter may be used with a variety of elongated medical instruments, such as wires, mascerators, needles, drill bits, trocars, catheters, tubes and other elongated instruments that are used to enable or effect medical procedures within the body of a subject. The rooter may be used for a variety of purposes, including, without limitation, the introduction of an elongated medical instrument into the body of a subject or its removal from the subject's body; removing, breaking up, or eliminating obstructions (e.g., blood clots, plaques, etc.) from the body of a subject; and obtaining samples from a subject's body.

Abstract: A syringe includes a barrel and a rotatable element on the barrel; for example at a proximal location along the length of the barrel. The rotatable element rotates at least partially around the barrel. When a handle is associated with the rotatable element, the barrel may rotate as the handle his held substantially stationary or the handle may be rotated while the barrel and any peripheral device secured thereto remain substantially stationary. When handles are associated with a rotatable element that may be removed from a barrel, a barrel that is disassembled from the rotatable element may be replaced with another barrel of the same or a different configuration. Methods of using a syringe with a rotatable element on a barrel thereof are also disclosed.

Abstract: A rooter includes a rotatable element, an actuator for causing the rotatable element to rotate, and a coupling feature for rotatably coupling an elongated medical instrument to the rotatable element. The rotatable element may be at least partially contained within the interior of a housing or another element that remains substantially stationary as the actuator causes the rotatable element to rotate. The rooter may be used with a variety of elongated medical instruments, such as wires, mascerators, needles, drill bits, trocars, catheters, tubes and other elongated instruments that are used to enable or effect medical procedures within the body of a subject. The rooter may be used for a variety of purposes, including, without limitation, the introduction of an elongated medical instrument into the body of a subject or its removal from the subject's body; removing, breaking up, or eliminating obstructions (e.g., blood clots, plaques, etc.) from the body of a subject; and obtaining samples from a subject's body.

Abstract: A hand held, hand operated apparatus for rotating, or spinning, rotatably oscillating and/or inducing back and forth longitudinal movement in a device, such as an elongated medical device. A drive shaft of the hand held, hand operated rotational drive apparatus includes a ratcheting mechanism capable of enabling oscillating (repeated forward and reverse) rotation of a device that has been coupled thereto when there is little or no resistance on the rotated device, and of enabling an actuator to return to a position that will enable further forward, or driving, rotation of the drive shaft and the rotated device when resistance on the rotated device prevents the rotated device and the drive shaft from rotating in a reverse direction.

Abstract: Finger control handles for conventional syringes are disclosed. The finger control handles may be configured to be assembled with a hand-held syringe, to be secured in place on a proximal portion of the barrel of the syringe and, when secured in place, to rotate freely about a circumference of the proximal portion of the barrel of the syringe. Systems that include the finger control handles and a hand-held syringe that is configured to capture the finger control handles are also disclosed, as are various methods of use, including methods for assembling the finger control handles with the syringe and methods for connecting the syringe to an elongated medical instrument, such as a catheter.

Abstract: A method for introducing a shaped portion of an elongate medical instrument into a body of a subject includes at least partially straightening the shaped portion of the elongate medical instrument. A retention element may be introduced into an interior of the shaped portion of the elongate medical instrument to place and/or maintain the shaped portion in an at least partially straightened configuration. Such straightening may be accomplished without application of external force to an exterior of the shaped portion. With the retention element in place, the shaped portion may be introduced to a desired location within a hollow interior of an internal organ. The retention element may then be removed to enable the shaped portion to return to its desired shape. A straightening apparatus includes a retention element that can place and/or maintain a shaped portion of an elongate medical instrument in an at least partially straightened configuration without assistance of external force.

Abstract: Expandable medical devices, including implantable medical devices that expand, such as stents and anchors, may be selectively expanded to for treatment purposes, including to hold the expandable medical devices and/or other devices with which the expandable medical devices are used in place within the body of a subject (e.g., within a vessel, a duct, another tubular organ, etc.). Such an expandable medical device may include struts that rotate outwardly as the expandable medical device expands. As the struts rotate outwardly, they may engage a surface against which the expandable medical device is expanded, holding the expanded expandable medical device in place. The expandable medical device may also plastically deform upon while expanded, enabling it to remain in an expanding state once an expanding force is no longer applied thereto.

Abstract: A positioning device is configured to selectively position or otherwise manipulate one or more organs within the body of a subject. The positioning device includes a shaped expandable element that is configured to be selectively transitioned between an unexpanded, or collapsed, state and an expanded state. While in the expanded state, the expandable element repositions or otherwise manipulates an organ. Systems that include positioning devices are also disclosed, as are methods for positioning or otherwise manipulating organs.

Abstract: A method for introducing a shaped portion of an elongate medical instrument into a body of a subject includes at least partially straightening the shaped portion of the elongate medical instrument. A retention element may be introduced into an interior of the shaped portion of the elongate medical instrument to place and/or maintain the shaped portion in an at least partially straightened configuration. Such straightening may be accomplished without application of external force to an exterior of the shaped portion. With the retention element in place, the shaped portion may be introduced to a desired location within a hollow interior of an internal organ. The retention element may then be removed to enable the shaped portion to return to its desired shape. A straightening apparatus includes a retention element that can place and/or maintain a shaped portion of an elongate medical instrument in an at least partially straightened configuration without assistance of external force.

Abstract: A tissue resector includes an outer cannula with a cutting element disposed therein. The outer cannula includes an opening that is configured to be associated with a cutting element of the cutting element in such a way that when tissue is drawn into the opening of the cannula, a cutting element of the cutting element can be rotated past the opening to engage and cut into and through the tissue. The outer cannula and the cutting element may also be configured to enable aspiration of the tissue. A tissue resector according to this disclosure may be used with a hand-held, hand-operated rooter.

Abstract: An apparatus for mechanically manipulating hollow organs within the body of a subject, or an organ manipulation apparatus, includes a manipulation section. The manipulation section may include a substantially two-dimensional element, which may have a width that exceeds a distance across a portion of the interior of a hollow organ within which the manipulation section is to be positioned. The manipulation section is configured to manipulate at least a portion of a hollow organ from within, which may modify at least one of a shape, orientation, or location of at least part of the hollow organ. Methods for manipulating hollow organs are also disclosed, as are operating techniques, such as left atrial ablation, in which the shapes, orientations, and/or locations of hollow organs are manipulated to move the hollow organs away from the site of the medical procedure, reducing the potential for damage to the hollow organs.

Abstract: A catheter includes a hypotube and a liner. The hypotube may extend substantially along a length of the catheter. The liner may extend along a majority of a length of the hypotube, and may extend along substantially an entirety of the length of the hypotube. The hypotube includes flexibility enhancing features along its length. In addition, the hypotube may include one or more operational features, which may enable various procedures to be performed with the catheter. The liner may be positioned adjacent to an interior surface of a wall of the hypotube, or it may be positioned adjacent to an exterior surface of the wall of the hypotube. Any operational features of the hypotube may be exposed through or beyond a longitudinal extent of the liner or a portion thereof. Methods for manufacturing catheters that include hypotubes and liners are also disclosed.