COAPTATION ENHANCEMENT IMPLANT, SYSTEM, AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A method for treating mal-coaptation of a heart valve in a patient, the heart valve having an annulus and first and second leaflets, the annulus defining a valve axis extending along a blood flow path, the first and second leaflets having a coaptation zone defining a curve extending across the flow path, the method comprising:
- introducing an implant into the heart while the implant is in a first configuration;
deploying the implant from the first configuration to a second configuration within the heart, the implant in the second configuration having a coaptation assist body with first and second opposed coaptation surfaces; and
supporting the deployed implant so that the coaptation assist body is offset from the axis of the heart valve along the coaptation zone.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Implants, implant systems, and methods for treatment of mitral valve regurgitation and other valve diseases generally include a coaptation assist body which remains within the blood flow path as the leaflets of the valve move, the valve bodies often being relatively thin, elongate (along the blood flow path), and/or conformable structures which extend laterally from commissure to commissure, allowing the native leaflets to engage and seal against the large, opposed surfaces on either side of the valve body during the heart cycle phase when the ventricle contracts to empty that chamber of blood, and allows blood to pass around the valve body so that blood flows from the atrium to the ventricle during the filling phase of the heart cycle. Separate deployment of independent anchors near each of the commissures may facilitate positioning and support of an exemplary triangular valve body, with a third anchor being deployed in the ventricle. An outer surface of the valve body may accommodate tissue ingrowth or endothelialization, while a fluid-absorbing matrix can swell after introduction into the heart. The valve body shape may be selected after an anchor has been deployed, and catheter-based deployment systems may have a desirable low profile.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for treating mal-coaptation of a heart valve in a patient, the heart valve having an annulus and first and second leaflets, the annulus defining a valve axis extending along a blood flow path, the first and second leaflets having a coaptation zone defining a curve extending across the flow path, the method comprising:
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introducing an implant into the heart while the implant is in a first configuration; deploying the implant from the first configuration to a second configuration within the heart, the implant in the second configuration having a coaptation assist body with first and second opposed coaptation surfaces; and supporting the deployed implant so that the coaptation assist body is offset from the axis of the heart valve along the coaptation zone. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A coaptation assist implant for treating mal-coaptation of a heart valve in a patient, the heart valve having an annulus and first and second leaflets, the annulus defining a valve axis extending along a blood flow path, the first and second leaflets having a coaptation zone defining a curve extending across the flow path, the implant comprising:
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a coaptation assist body having an axis and first and second opposed major coaptation surfaces, each coaptation surface extending laterally between a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge of the coaptation assist body, the coaptation assist body introducible into the heart and supportable within the heart so that the axis of the coaptation assist body extends along the axis of the valve with the first and second lateral sides of the coaptation assist body extending along the curve of the coaptation zone of the heart valve; the coaptation assist body deployable from a first configuration to a second configuration by removing the coaptation assist body from within a surrounding deployment catheter. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of treating mal-coaptation of a heart valve in a patient, the heart valve having an annulus and first and second leaflets, the annulus defining a valve axis extending along a blood flow path, the first and second leaflets having a coaptation zone, the method comprising:
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introducing an implant having a coaptation assist body with first and second opposed coaptation surfaces into the heart valve; supporting the deployed implant so that the coaptation assist body is disposed within the coaptation zone; and adjusting a curvature of the coaptation assist body. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification