Medical implant with reinforcement mechanism
First Claim
1. A medical implant for treating heart valve pathologies, comprising:
- a proximal anchor;
a distal anchor;
an elongate bridge formed of a shape memory material, the elongate bridge extending between the proximal and distal anchors; and
a reinforcement mechanism attached to the bridge at a plurality of attachment locations for limiting a maximum separation between adjacent attachment locations;
wherein the medical implant is sized for deployment at least partially in a blood vessel and the bridge is configured to apply a force along a portion of a valve annulus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved medical implant for treating mitral regurgitation is provided. The medical implant comprises proximal and distal anchors connected by a bridge. The medical implant is configured to be delivered into a coronary sinus using a minimally invasive procedure. The bridge is preferably made of a shape memory material which is biased to contract after the implant is delivered. The medical implant further comprises a reinforcement mechanism configured to limit stresses and strains along the length of the bridge. In a preferred embodiment, the reinforcement mechanism is fixed to a plurality of attachment points along the bridge, thereby preventing excessive elongation between any two attachment points. A resorbable material is preferably disposed within gaps along the length of the bridge to temporarily maintain the bridge in an elongated condition. After the proximal and distal anchors are secured in the coronary sinus, the resorbable material gradually resorbs, thereby creating tension in the bridge which applies a force along the mitral valve annulus. The reinforcement mechanism ensures that stresses and strains and distributed evenly while the bridge is in tension.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A medical implant for treating heart valve pathologies, comprising:
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a proximal anchor;
a distal anchor;
an elongate bridge formed of a shape memory material, the elongate bridge extending between the proximal and distal anchors; and
a reinforcement mechanism attached to the bridge at a plurality of attachment locations for limiting a maximum separation between adjacent attachment locations;
wherein the medical implant is sized for deployment at least partially in a blood vessel and the bridge is configured to apply a force along a portion of a valve annulus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A medical implant, comprising:
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a shape memory material; and
a reinforcement mechanism attached to the shape memory material along a plurality of attachment points for limiting the movement between adjacent attachment points after delivery into a human body. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A medical implant having a composite structure, comprising:
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a shape memory material; and
a limiting member attached to the shape memory material along a plurality of attachment points for limiting the movement between adjacent attachment points. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification