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Aortic ring and ancillary device for implanting it

  • US 10,561,499 B2
  • Filed: 03/02/2018
  • Issued: 02/18/2020
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for surgical repair of an aortic valve of a patient, the aortic valve being exposed to alternating diastolic and systolic phases of a cardiac cycle, the aortic valve having a valve axis and contained within a generally tubular aortic root with an inner surface and an outer surface, the aortic valve including a plurality of valve leaflets, the valve leaflets attached to a sigmoid-shaped valve annulus and each having a leaflet free margin, the sigmoid-shaped valve annulus extending circumferentially around the valve axis, the sigmoid-shaped valve annulus extending in height along the valve axis between a nadir portion at a base of the aortic root and a spaced away commissure portion generally at a sinotubular junction of the aortic root, the aortic root also having a subvalvular region located generally below the nadir portion and a supravalvular region located generally above the commissure portion, the aortic root having coronary arteries attached thereto between the subvalvular and supravalvular regions, the aortic root and the valve annulus expanding outwardly away from the valve axis during a cardiac cycle transition from the diastolic phase to the systolic phase and retracting inwardly toward said valve axis during a transition from the systolic phase to the diastolic phase, the valve leaflets movable between a closed configuration in which the leaflet free margins are in an approximated spatial relationship during the diastolic phase and an open configuration in which the leaflet free margins are spaced away from one another during the systolic phase to allow blood flow through the aortic valve generally along a direction parallel to the valve axis, the method comprising:

  • implanting a subvalvular aortic ring externally on the outer surface and around the aortic root to form a subvalvular closed-perimeter flexible structure around the subvalvular region externally of the aortic root, generally adjacent the nadir portion of the valve annulus and below the attachment points of the coronary arteries;

    implanting a supravalvular aortic ring externally on the outer surface and around the aortic root to form a supravalvular closed-perimeter flexible structure around the supravalvular region externally of the aortic root, generally adjacent the commissure portion of the valve annulus and above the attachment points of the coronary arteries; and

    constraining the aortic root with the subvalvular and supravalvular closed-perimeter flexible structures to an anatomically representative geometry that improves coaptation of the leaflet free margins in the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle.

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