Transcatheter valve delivery system with crimped prosthetic heart valve

• US 10,357,363 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Frisby, Paraic
• Primary Examiner(s): Stransky, Katrina M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Byrd, Brigid K
• Application Number:
  US15/617,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20170354498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2418 Scaffolds therefor, e.g. support stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2433 using balloon catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2436 Deployment by retracting a sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2439 Expansion controlled by filaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9522 Means for mounting a stent or stent-graft onto or into a placement instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0014 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0052 T-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter

Abstract

Stented prosthetic heart valve crimping tools and methods, and transcatheter delivery systems for delivering a crimped prosthetic heart valve. Methods of the present disclosure include crimping or compressing a stented prosthetic heart valve via spherical compression to a spherically compressed shape, and then delivering the so-shaped prosthesis to a target site. Delivery systems carrying a spherically-compressed prosthesis have a reduced length profile as compared to conventional, elongated configurations, providing increased maneuverability and positioning.

Claims

1. A method of loading a stented prosthetic heart valve to a transcatheter delivery system, the method comprising:

crimping the stented prosthetic heart valve via spherical compression to a compressed condition; and

locating the stented prosthetic heart valve in the compressed condition within an outer sheath of the delivery system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of crimping includes compressing the stented prosthetic heart valve from a normal, expanded condition to the compressed condition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of crimping includes applying a collapsing force onto the stented prosthetic heart valve in a plurality of directions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the stented prosthetic heart valve defines a longitudinal axis in the normal, expanded condition, and further wherein at least one of the plurality of directions is a non-radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the stented prosthetic heart valve includes a stent frame and a valve structure, and further wherein the valve structure is mounted to the stent frame so as to define an inflow section and outflow section along the stent frame at opposite sides of the valve structure, and even further wherein the compressed condition includes at least one of the inflow and outflow sections wrapped about the valve structure.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the compressed condition includes both of the inflow and outflow sections wrapped about the valve structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of crimping includes:

placing the stented prosthetic heart valve, in a normal condition, into a collapsible bag; and

forcibly collapsing the bag to compress the stented prosthetic heart valve.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of collapsing includes tensioning a plurality of drawstrings connected to the bag.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of collapsing includes manipulating an actuator connected to the bag.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the bag is a mesh material defining longitudinal and latitudinal wires.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of collapsing includes tensioning the longitudinal wires with a first actuator and tensioning the latitudinal wires with a second actuator.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the compressed condition includes the stented prosthetic heart valve assuming a spherically compressed shape.