Heart valve assembly

• US 10,543,082 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2017
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Venus Medtech (Hangzhou), Inc.
• Original Assignee: Venus Medtech (Hangzhou), Inc.
• Inventors: Zeng, Min Frank, Lo, Pham
• Primary Examiner(s): Baria, Dinah
• Application Number:
  US15/722,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20180021131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2409 Support rings therefor, e.g. for connecting valves to tissue annuloplasty rings A61F2/2442
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2418 Scaffolds therefor, e.g. support stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2436 Deployment by retracting a sheath
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0008 Fixation appliances for connecting prostheses to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0033 made by longitudinally pushing a protrusion into a complementary-shaped recess, e.g. held by friction fit
• 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 2230/005 Rosette-shaped, e.g. star-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0052 T-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0054 V-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0065 toroidal, e.g. ring-shaped, doughnut-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0078 hyperboloidal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0039 differing in diameter
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0063 Nested prosthetic parts
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0069 Sealing means

Abstract

A heart valve assembly has a heart valve assembly that has a wire frame comprising an anchor section, a generally cylindrical valve support section, and a neck section that transitions between the anchor section and the valve support section. The wire frame includes a plurality of supports extending radially outwardly in an annular manner about an upper end of the valve support section, and the anchor section has an annular flange that extends radially therefrom, so that an annular space is defined between the annular flange and the annular supports for receiving or capturing the native annulus when the heart valve is deployed. The heart valve assembly also includes a leaflet assembly having a plurality of leaflets that are stitched to the valve support section and which are positioned on an inflow side of the neck section.

Claims

1. A heart valve assembly, comprising:

a wire frame comprising;

an anchor section having a flared and bowl-shaped configuration which defines an annular flange;

a generally cylindrical valve support section; and

a neck section that transitions between the anchor section and the valve support section, the wire frame further comprising a radial ring that extends radially outwardly in an annular manner about an upper end of the valve support section, the radial ring consisting only of a plurality of V-shaped supports that extend radially outwardly and upwardly at an angle;

wherein an annular space is defined between the annular flange and the V-shaped supports;

wherein the upper end of the valve support section transitions into the neck section which first extends radially inwardly, and then continues to curve back radially outwardly to transition into the anchor section so that the neck section is configured as an annular U-shaped section; and

wherein the annular flange extends radially outwardly from the neck section to an outer-most annular line, and then curves radially inwardly to an annular zig-zag arrangement of outflow tips that defines peaks and valleys;

a leaflet assembly having a plurality of leaflets that are stitched to the valve support section and which are positioned on an inflow side of the neck section; and

wherein the anchor section functions to secure the wire frame to a native valve annulus of a human heart.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the anchor section has a wider diameter than a diameter of each of the plurality of V-shaped supports, the neck section and the valve support section.

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the V-shaped supports have an outer diameter that is less than an outer-most diameter of the anchor section at the annular line.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the anchor section, the neck section and the valve support section are all provided in a single piece.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of leaflets comprises three or four leaflets.

6. The assembly of claim 1, further including a skirt connected to the anchor section and the neck section.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the valve support section has an inflow end that is configured with an annular zig-zag arrangement that defines peaks and valleys.