6326 results about "Rat heart" patented technology

The present invention relates to a minimally invasive method of performing annuloplasty. According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for performing a procedure on a mitral valve of a heart includes inserting an implant into a left ventricle and orienting the implant in the left ventricle substantially below the mitral valve. The implant and tissue around the mitral valve are connected and tension is provided to the implant, in one embodiment, in order to substantially reduce an arc length associated with the mitral valve. In another embodiment, the implant is inserted into the left ventricle through the aorta and the aortic valve.

Apparatus for treating a heart condition of a subject is provided, including an electrode device, which is adapted to be coupled to a vagus nerve of the subject. A control unit is adapted to drive the electrode device to apply to the vagus nerve a stimulating current, which is capable of inducing action potentials in a therapeutic direction in a first set and a second set of nerve fibers of the vagus nerve. The control unit is also adapted to drive the electrode device to apply to the vagus nerve an inhibiting current, which is capable of inhibiting the induced action potentials traveling in the therapeutic direction in the second set of nerve fibers, the nerve fibers in the second set having generally larger diameters than the nerve fibers in the first set.

The disclosure provides methods and apparatus of particular benefit for patients suffering heart failure including cardiac dysfunction, chronic HF, and the like and all variants thereof. According to the disclosure monitoring and therapy delivery for a wide variety of acute and chronic cardiac dysfunctions are described and depicted. Various forms of paired or coupled pacing therapy delivery provided alone or in combination with neurostimulation therapy delivered by both implantable and external apparatus, including defibrillation therapy are also provided herein.

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.

A treatment for bioprosthetic tissue used in implants or for assembled bioprosthetic heart valves to reduce in vivo calcification. The method includes applying a calcification mitigant such as a capping agent or an antioxidant to the tissue to specifically inhibit oxidation in tissue. Also, the method can be used to inhibit oxidation in dehydrated tissue. The capping agent suppresses the formation of binding sites in the tissue that are exposed or generated by the oxidation and otherwise would, upon implant, attract calcium, phosphate, immunogenic factors, or other precursors to calcification. In one method, tissue leaflets in assembled bioprosthetic heart valves are pretreated with an aldehyde capping agent prior to dehydration and sterilization.

Valve prostheses are disclosed that are adapted for secure and aligned placement relative to a heart annulus. The valve prostheses may be placed in a non-invasive manner, e.g., via transcatheter techniques. The valve prosthesis may include a resilient ring, a plurality of leaflet membranes mounted with respect to the resilient ring, and a plurality of positioning elements movably mounted with respect to the flexible ring. Each of the positioning elements defines respective proximal, intermediate, and distal tissue engaging regions cooperatively configured and dimensioned to simultaneously engage separate corresponding areas of the tissue of an anatomical structure, including respective first, second, and third elongate tissue-piercing elements. The proximal, distal, and intermediate tissue-engaging regions are cooperatively configured and dimensioned to simultaneously engage separate corresponding areas of the tissue of an anatomical structure so as to stabilize a position of the valve prosthesis with respect to the anatomical structure, including wherein for purposes of so simultaneously engaging the separate corresponding areas of tissue, at least one of the first, second, and third elongate tissue-piercing elements is pointed at least partially opposite the direction of blood flow, and at least another thereof is pointed at least partially along the direction of blood flow. The valve prosthesis may also include a skirt mounted with respect to the resilient ring for sealing a periphery of the valve prosthesis against a reverse flow of blood around the valve prosthesis.

The invention relates to a flexible assembly for use in a region of a medical or surgical device. In preferred embodiments, the flexible region comprises a set of pull wires for controllably moving a treatment end of the device, and elements to separate the pull wires and maintain the integrity of the shaft of the flexible region in order to improve the operating aspects of the device. The devices and methods can be especially useful in ablation treatments, such as ablation at cardiac or epicardial tissues.

A respiration monitoring device includes an accelerometer (210) for application to the chest, whereby acceleration is possible due to both non-respiratory body motion and respiration, and an electronic circuit (DSP) responsive to an acceleration signal from the accelerometer and operable to separate from the acceleration signal a heart signal, a respiration signal, and a substantially non-respiration body motion signal. Other devices, sensor articles, electronic circuit units, and processes are also disclosed.

A percutaneous heart valve prosthesis (1) has a valve body (2) with a passage (9) extending between the first and second ends (7, 8) of the valve body (2). The valve body (2) is collapsible about a longitudinal axis (10) of the passage (9) for delivery of the valve body (2) via a catheter (18). One or more flexible valve leaflets (3, 4) are secured to the valve body (2) and extend across the passage (9) for blocking bloodflow in one direction through the passage (9). An anchor device (5), which is also collapsible for delivery via catheter (18), is secured to the valve body (2) by way of an anchor line (6). A failed or failing mitral heart valve (101) is treated by percutaneously locating the valve body (2) in the mitral valve orifice (102) with the anchor device (5) located in the right atrium (107) and engaging the inter-atrial septum (103), such that the taught anchor line (6) acts to secure the valve body (2) within the mitral valve orifice (102).

Methods and apparatus for measuring arterial blood pressure at an extremity of a subject. Arterial blood pressure is derived from a circulatory measurement performed on an extremity of a subject and the circulatory measurement is normalized to account for the instantaneous vertical displacement of the extremity. The vertical displacement of the extremity relative to the heart of the subject is obtained using the angular orientation of the subject's extremity. An improved photoplethysmograph can discriminate light traversing the extremity from ambient light on the basis of differential response. The apparatus may have a conducting polymer actuator for applying pressure to the extremity of the subject. A pulsatile waveform from the photoplethysmographic signal may be obtained at a plurality of externally applied pressures to calibrate the photoplethysmograph.

The present invention relates to monitoring septal wall motion of the atrial and / or ventricular chambers of a heart for optimizing cardiac pacing intervals based on signals derived from the monitored wall motion. At least one lead of medical device is equipped with a motion sensor adapted to couple to septal tissue. The device receives and may post-process (e.g., suitably filter, rectify and / or integrate) motion signals to determine acceleration, velocity and / or displacement. During pacing interval optimization the wall motion is measured for those pacing intervals and the pacing interval setting(s) that produce minimal wall motion for chronic therapy delivery. In addition, methods for periodically determining whether to cease or resume delivery of a bi-ventricular pacing therapy to a patient that may have experienced beneficial reverse remodeling of the heart.

A system for manipulating a heart during cardiac surgery permits coronary surgery on a beating heart while maintaining cardiac output unabated and uninterrupted. Circumflex coronary artery surgery can be performed using the system. The system locates a suspension head near the apical region of the heart and a gross support near the base of the heart near the AV groove. A frame is positioned within the patient's thoracic region and moves with the patient, and a surgical target immobilizer can be used to assist in the movement of the heart if desired. A special suction cup is used which accommodates multiplanar movement of the heart and the myocardium while also preventing heart tissue from interrupting the suction being applied to the heart. One form of the system can be used in minimally invasive surgery.

A method is provided for electrical mapping of a pulmonary vein of a heart, including introducing into the heart a catheter having a curved section and a base section, the base section having a distal end attached to a proximal end of the curved section. At a location on the curved section, a first position signal is generated having fewer than six dimensions of position and orientation information. At a vicinity of the distal end of the base section, a second position signal is generated having six dimensions of position and orientation information. The method also includes measuring, at one or more locations on the curved section, an electrical property of the pulmonary vein.

The present invention provides devices for beating heart surgery. The device separates the valve and the surrounding area from the rest of the vascular system so the operation procedure can be carried out while the heart is beating during the entire course of the procedure. This is made possible through a temporary valve (170) and two coronary artery conducts (130, 140) incorporated in the balloon-catheter system. The system provides better view and ease of operation and thus, reduces surgery related complication and pains.