Heart valve holder and method for resisting suture looping
First Claim
1. A holder for a flexible leaflet prosthetic heart valve that helps prevent suture looping, the heart valve having an inflow end and an outflow end and a flow axis therebetween, the valve including a plurality of generally axially-extending commissure posts circumferentially-spaced around the outflow end that support occluding flexible leaflets of the valve, the holder comprising:
- a valve abutment portion that contacts the inflow end of the valve;
a member coupled to the valve abutment portion and extending therefrom along the flow axis to a distal tip on the outflow side of the leaflets; and
a plurality of lengths of flexible material each having first segments angled in the outflow direction from the commissure posts to the distal tip of the member in a tent configuration to help prevent suture looping during implant.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved holder and method for implanting a tissue-type prosthetic mitral heart valve that prevents suture looping and may also constrict the commissure posts of the valve. An upstanding or shaft member axially positioned on the holder causes the lengths of attachment sutures to extend axially beyond the commissure post tips to create a tent and prevent looping of any of an array of pre-implanted sutures around the tips during deployment of the valve. The shaft member may be axially movable such that it can be initially retracted and then actuated just prior to valve deployment. The shaft member may have notches on its distal tip for capturing the attachment sutures, which are crossed over along the valve axis to ensure engagement by the notches. The attachment sutures may be strands or filaments, or may be wider bands of flexible biocompatible material. If bands are used, they desirably cover the commissure post tips to further help prevent suture looping thereover. The flexible lengths of material extend directly between commissures of the valve, or may extending radially inward from each commissure to a central upstanding member.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A holder for a flexible leaflet prosthetic heart valve that helps prevent suture looping, the heart valve having an inflow end and an outflow end and a flow axis therebetween, the valve including a plurality of generally axially-extending commissure posts circumferentially-spaced around the outflow end that support occluding flexible leaflets of the valve, the holder comprising:
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a valve abutment portion that contacts the inflow end of the valve;
a member coupled to the valve abutment portion and extending therefrom along the flow axis to a distal tip on the outflow side of the leaflets; and
a plurality of lengths of flexible material each having first segments angled in the outflow direction from the commissure posts to the distal tip of the member in a tent configuration to help prevent suture looping during implant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for delivering a flexible leaflet prosthetic heart valve and preventing suture looping, comprising:
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providing a flexible leaflet prosthetic heart valve and holder combination, the heart valve having an inflow end and an outflow end and a flow axis therebetween, the valve including a plurality of generally axially-extending commissure posts circumferentially-spaced around the outflow end that support occluding flexible leaflets of the valve, the holder being releasably attached at the inflow end of the valve with a plurality of lengths of flexible material each passing through the valve and having two first segments that each extend radially inward from a commissure post to the flow axis, the holder having a member that is axially movable relative to the valve along the flow axis between a first position and a second position displaced from the first position in the outflow direction, the member having a distal tip; and
axially displacing the member from the first position to the second position so that the member distal tip passes from the inflow to the outflow side of the flexible leaflets of the valve and engages the first segments of the plurality of lengths of flexible material so that they are angled in the outflow direction from the commissure posts to the distal tip of the member and help prevent suture looping during implant. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for holding a flexible leaflet prosthetic heart valve, the heart valve having an inflow/proximal end and an outflow/distal end and a flow axis therebetween, the valve including a plurality of generally axially-extending commissure posts circumferentially-spaced around the outflow end that support occluding flexible leaflets of the valve, the system comprising:
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a surgical delivery handle having a distal threaded end; and
a holder comprising a valve abutment portion that contacts the inflow end of the valve, and a handle interface having threading for coupling to the distel threaded end of the surgical delivery handle, the handle interface being coupled to the valve abutment portion with quick release structure to permit quick release of the handle interface and coupled surgical delivery handle from the valve abutment portion without having to unscrew the surgical delivery handle. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification