Heart valve with stent having varying cell densities

• US 10,321,994 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Erzberger, Gary, Alkhatib, Yousef F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prone, Christopher D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shipmon, Tiffany P
• Application Number:
  US15/591,304
• Publication Number:
  US 20170325944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 623 114
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2418 Scaffolds therefor, e.g. support stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/008 paraboloidal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0015 differing in density or specific weight
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0036 differing in thickness

Abstract

A prosthetic heart valve for replacing a native valve includes a collapsible and expandable stent extending between a proximal end and a distal end, the stent including an annulus section adjacent the proximal end and an aortic section adjacent the distal end. The annulus section has cells arranged in at least one annulus row, each annulus row having a same first number of cells, the first number defining a first cell density. The aortic section has cells arranged in at least one aortic row, each aortic row having a same second number of cells, the second number defining a second cell density, the first cell density and the second cell density being different. A valve assembly is disposed within the stent.

Claims

1. A prosthetic heart valve for replacing a native valve, comprising:

a collapsible and expandable stent extending between a proximal end and a distal end, the stent including an annulus section adjacent the proximal end, the annulus section having cells arranged in at least one annulus row, each said annulus row having a same first number of cells, the first number defining a first cell density of twelve cells per row, and an aortic section adjacent the distal end, the aortic section having cells arranged in at least one aortic row, each said aortic row having a same second number of cells, the second number defining a second cell density of nine cells per row; and

a valve assembly disposed within the stent,

wherein each cell in the at least one aortic row is directly coupled to a circumferentially adjacent cell in the at least one aortic row.

2. The prosthetic heart valve of claim 1, wherein the cells in each said annulus row are smaller than the cells in each said aortic row.

3. The prosthetic heart valve of claim 1, further comprising a transition section disposed between the annulus section and the aortic section, the transition section having cells arranged in at least one transition row, the number of cells per transition row defining a third cell density that is different from the first cell density and the second cell density.

4. The prosthetic heart valve of claim 3, wherein the transition section includes multiple rows of cells.

5. The prosthetic heart valve of claim 4, wherein the stent further includes a plurality of commissure features and the transition section includes a plurality of cells of a first size and a plurality of asymmetric cells of a second size larger than the first size, each directly adjoining one of the commissure features.

6. The prosthetic heart valve of claim 5, wherein each of the commissure features is flanked by an asymmetric cell of the second size on either side of the commissure feature.

7. The prosthetic heart valve of claim 3, wherein selected ones of the struts defining cells of the transition section have a thickness that is less than a thickness of the struts in the annulus section.

8. The prosthetic heart valve of claim 7, wherein the selected ones of the struts are disposed in a V-shaped pattern.

9. A collapsible and expandable stent for a prosthetic heart valve, the stent having a proximal end and a distal end, and the stent comprising:

an annulus section adjacent the proximal end, the annulus section having cells arranged in at least one annulus row, each said annulus row having a same first number of cells, the first number defining a first cell density;

an aortic section adjacent the distal end, the aortic section having cells arranged in at least one aortic row, each said aortic row having a same second number of cells, the second number defining a second cell density, the first cell density and the second cell density being different; and

a transition section disposed between the annulus section and the aortic section, the transition section having cells arranged in at least one transition row, the number of cells per transition row defining a third cell density that is different from the first cell density and the second cell density,

wherein each cell in the at least one aortic row is directly coupled to a circumferentially adjacent cell in the at least one aortic row,

wherein the first cell density is greater than the second cell density.

10. The stent of claim 9, wherein the first cell density is equal to twelve cells per row.

11. The stent of claim 9, wherein the second cell density is equal to nine cells per row.

12. The stent of claim 9, wherein the cells in each said annulus row are smaller than the cells in each said aortic row.

13. The stent of claim 9, wherein the transition section includes multiple rows of cells.

14. The stent of claim 9, wherein the stent further includes a plurality of commissure features and the transition section includes a plurality of cells of a first size and a plurality of asymmetric cells of a second size larger than the first size, each of the asymmetric cells of the second size directly adjoining one of the commissure sure features.

15. The stent of claim 14, wherein each of the commissure features is flanked by an asymmetric cell of the second size on either side of the commissure sure feature.