Prosthetic mitral heart valve

• US 20040102842A1
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adiam Life Science AG
• Original Assignee: Adiam Life Science AG
• Inventors: Jansen, Josef
• Granted Patent: US 6,780,200 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/2.38
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a prosthetic mitral heart valve consisting of a support housing (IQ) comprising a base ring (15) supporting two posts which point essentially in the direction of the ring axis and which are connected by arc-shaped walls (13, 14), these walls being used to fix two flexible leaflets. The free ends of said posts form an inner support for the leaflet The base ring, as seen from above, has a closed, noncircular shape with a common longitudinal axis but two different-sized semi lateral axes. The posts lie on the longitudinal axis and form the transitional point from one half of the shape to the other. The invention provides that in order to avoid undercuts which can contribute to turbulence, the plane in which the connection line (17) between the tips of the posts (18, 19) and the common longitudinal axis of the post base ring shape lie is tilted at an angle (α) of 10° to 20°, preferably 15°, in relation to the plane that leads through the common longitudinal axis and lies vertically in relation to the surface (21) formed by the base ring; and the wall with the greater curvature supports the leaflet with the smaller surface (the mural leaflet), positioned at a greater angle to the surface formed by the base ring compared to the wall with the greater curvature.

Claims

1. A prosthetic heart valve comprised of a support (10) with a base ring (15) that carries two posts extending axially of the ring, connected by arcuate walls (13 and 14) serving for the mounting of two flexible cusps, and having outer edges forming an inside support for the respective cusps, the base ring seen from above having a closed noncircular shape with a major longitudinal axis and two unequal transverse minor subaxes, the posts extending from the major axis and forming transitions from the one to the other half

characterized in that

a plane including a connecting line (17) joining post tips (18 and 19) and the manor axis of the annulus of the post base ring is inclined vertically to the plane (21) of the basis ring at an angle (α

) of 10°

to 200, preferably 150, and the wall with the greater arc carries a cusp having a smaller surface (mural) area and inclined at a stronger angle to the base-ring plane than the wall with the larger arc.

2. The mitral heart valve according to claim 1, characterized in that a flow direction (24) defined by the interior of the support is inclined at an angle from 70°

to 80°

, preferably 75°

, to a base-ring plane.

3. The mitral heart valve according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a cusp angle defined between the base-ring plane and the plane of the connecting line of each cusp with the upper inner edge of the respective wall, lies between 250 and 450 for the less angled (aortal) cusp and between 55°

and 70°

, preferably 65°

, for the more angled (mural) cusp, and at the same time the more angled cusp is angled at at least 10°

, preferably 20°

, more than the less angled cusp.

4. The mitral heart valve according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the lengths of the minor subaxes (22 and 23) form a ratio of from 1.5:

1 to 2.5;

1.

5. The mitral heart valve according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the major axis (20) has a length (1) between 10 mm and 45 mm.

6. The mitral heart valve according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the posts are of the same thickness as the walls and are imbedded therein.

7. The mitral heart valve according to claim 6, characterized in that the posts (18 and 19) have pointed ends.

8. The mitral heart valve according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the connecting lines of the cusps with the upper inner edges (11 and 12) of the respective walls (13 and 14) each lie in a plane.