Leaflet suturing to commissure points for prosthetic heart valve

• US 10,512,538 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2017
• Issued: 12/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Alkhatib, Yousef F., Braido, Peter N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ganesan, Suba
• Application Number:
  US15/635,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20170296337A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2412 with soft flexible valve members, e.g. tissue valves shaped like natural valves check valves with flexible valve members in general F16K15/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2418 Scaffolds therefor, e.g. support stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2427 Devices for manipulating or deploying heart valves during implantation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2436 Deployment by retracting a sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/95 Instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/9517 handle assemblies therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/9534 for repositioning of stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0075 sutured, ligatured or stitched, retained or tied with a rope, string, thread, wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0013 Horseshoe-shaped, e.g. crescent-shaped, C-shaped, U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter

Abstract

A collapsible prosthetic heart valve includes a collapsible and expandable stent and a collapsible and expandable valve assembly. The stent has a proximal end and a distal end. A plurality of commissure points is disposed on the stent. The valve assembly is disposed within the stent and includes a plurality of leaflets. Each leaflet has a free edge. An end portion of the free edge of each leaflet is folded and sutured to a corresponding one of the plurality of the commissure points.

Claims

1. A prosthetic heart valve, comprising:

a collapsible and expandable stent having a proximal end, a distal end, a plurality of struts and a plurality of cells defined by the plurality of struts;

a plurality of commissure points disposed on the stent, each of the commissure points having an inner surface, an outer surface, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, each of the commissure points interconnecting first and second adjacent cells in an annular row of the stent such that the first lateral side faces the first cell and the second lateral side faces the second cell; and

a collapsible and expandable valve assembly disposed within the stent, the valve assembly including a plurality of leaflets, each of the leaflets having an end portion and a remaining portion, the end portion including a first segment extending from the remaining portion, a second segment, a terminal portion, a first intermediate portion between the first segment and the second segment and a second intermediate portion between the second segment and the terminal portion, the first intermediate portion of a first one of the leaflets being folded in a U-shape so that the second segment of the first leaflet contacts the first segment of the first leaflet and is attached directly to the first segment of the first leaflet, and the second intermediate portion of the first leaflet being folded in a U-shape so that the second segment of the first leaflet contacts the terminal portion of the first leaflet and is attached directly to the terminal portion of the first leaflet, the end portion of the first leaflet being attached to one of the commissure points in contact with the inner surface of the one commissure point.

2. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 1, wherein the first intermediate portion of a second one of the leaflets adjacent the first leaflet is folded in a U-shape so that the second segment of the second leaflet contacts the first segment of the second leaflet and is attached directly to the first segment of the second leaflet, and the second intermediate portion of the second leaflet is folded in a U-shape so that the terminal portion of the second leaflet contacts the second segment of the second leaflet and is attached directly to the second segment of the second leaflet, the end portion of the second leaflet being attached to the one commissure point in contact with the inner surface of the one commissure point.

3. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 2, wherein the terminal portion of the second leaflet, the first segment of the second leaflet, and the second segment of the second leaflet are sutured to the one commissure point.

4. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 2, wherein the terminal portion of the second leaflet, the first segment of the second leaflet, and the second segment of the second leaflet are oriented generally parallel to the inner surface of the one commissure point.

5. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 2, further comprising a suture passing through the terminal portion of the second leaflet, the second segment of the second leaflet, and the first segment of the second leaflet.

6. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 1, wherein the terminal portion of the first leaflet, the first segment of the first leaflet, and the second segment of the first leaflet are sutured to the one commissure point.

7. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 1, wherein the terminal portion of the first leaflet, the first segment of the first leaflet, and the second segment of the first leaflet are oriented generally parallel to the inner surface of the one commissure point.

8. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 1, further comprising a suture passing through the terminal portion of the first leaflet, the second segment of the first leaflet and the first segment of the first leaflet.