Method of crimping a prosthetic valve
First Claim
1. A method of crimping a prosthetic valve, comprising:
- providing a prosthetic valve crimping device having a plurality of rotationally constrained but radially movable jaws each having at least one camming member and a radially inner face such that the combination of all the radially inner faces defines a variable sized crimping aperture centered about an axis, the crimping device further including an actuator connected to move a plurality of cams;
positioning an expandable prosthetic valve within the crimping aperture, the prosthetic valve having an expanded diameter of at least 19 mm; and
displacing the actuator such that the moving cams contact at least one camming member on each jaw and apply radially inward forces to the jaws sufficient to narrow the crimping aperture and crimp the prosthetic valve down to a reduced diameter of at least 10 mm less than its expanded diameter.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved crimping mechanism and method well-suited for use with stented prosthetic heart valves. The crimping mechanism includes a plurality of jaws configured for linear non-rotational movement toward a central axis. A rotational plate is formed with a plurality of spiral grooves or tracks for engaging the jaws. Rotational movement of the spiral tracks produces linear movement of the jaws. Nesting of the inner ends of the jaws permits each to be acted on along different radial lines while their inner faces move together evenly to reduce the crimping aperture in a smooth fashion. The crimping mechanism is particularly well-suited for use with stented prosthetic heart valves, such as a prosthetic aortic valve, though it can also be applied to other stented heart valves, venous valves, and even stent grafts which tend to be fairly large.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of crimping a prosthetic valve, comprising:
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providing a prosthetic valve crimping device having a plurality of rotationally constrained but radially movable jaws each having at least one camming member and a radially inner face such that the combination of all the radially inner faces defines a variable sized crimping aperture centered about an axis, the crimping device further including an actuator connected to move a plurality of cams;
positioning an expandable prosthetic valve within the crimping aperture, the prosthetic valve having an expanded diameter of at least 19 mm; and
displacing the actuator such that the moving cams contact at least one camming member on each jaw and apply radially inward forces to the jaws sufficient to narrow the crimping aperture and crimp the prosthetic valve down to a reduced diameter of at least 10 mm less than its expanded diameter. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of crimping a prosthetic valve, comprising:
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providing a disposable, portable crimping system for prosthetic valves, comprising a base, a valve crimper mounted on the base having a plurality of movable jaws defining a crimping aperture of variable diameter, and a prosthetic valve gauge mounted on the base having a tapered throughbore with a minimum diameter calibrated to be the same as a minimum diameter of the crimping aperture;
positioning an expandable prosthetic valve having an expanded diameter of at least 19 mm within the crimping aperture;
actuating the valve crimper jaws to narrow the crimping aperture and crimp the prosthetic valve down to the minimum diameter of at least 10 mm less than the expanded diameter; and
removing the crimped prosthetic valve from the crimping aperture and inserting it into the prosthetic valve gauge to ensure that the prosthetic valve has been crimped to the minimum reduced diameter. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of assembling a crimping system for crimping a prosthetic implant having a support frame, comprising:
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providing a disposable, portable crimping device having a crimping aperture of variable diameter within which the prosthetic implant may be crimped from an expanded diameter to a crimped diameter;
selecting a stop member calibrated for a predetermined crimped diameter;
mounting the stop member on the crimping device so as to limit a minimum diameter of the crimping aperture to the crimped diameter;
selecting a support frame gauge calibrated for the predetermined crimped diameter; and
mounting the support frame gauge on the crimping device. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification