LEAFLET ABRASION MITIGATION

• US 20150265401A1
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Braido, Peter N., Smith, Kent J., McCarthy, Andrea L., Alkhatib, Yousef F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2409 Support rings therefor, e.g. for connecting valves to tissue annuloplasty rings A61F2/2442
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2418 Scaffolds therefor, e.g. support stents
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0014 using shape memory or superelastic materials, e.g. nitinol
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2210/0076 multilayered, e.g. laminated structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2220/0025 Connections or couplings between prosthetic parts, e.g. between modular parts; Connecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2230/0069 cylindrical

Abstract

A prosthetic heart valve includes a stent extending in a longitudinal direction and having a plurality of commissure features. A valve assembly is secured to the stent, the valve assembly including a cuff and a plurality of leaflets. Each of the leaflets has a pair of attachment regions and a free edge extending between the attachment regions. A deflection feature disposed in each attachment region is configured and arranged to prevent the free edges of the leaflets from contacting at least one of the stent or the cuff.

Claims

1. A prosthetic heart valve, comprising:

a stent extending in a longitudinal direction and having a plurality of commissure features;

a valve assembly secured to the stent, the valve assembly including a cuff and a plurality of leaflets, each of the leaflets having a pair of attachment regions and a free edge extending between the attachment regions; and

a deflection feature in an attachment region of a leaflet and configured and arranged to prevent the free edge of the leaflet from contacting at least one of the stent, the cuff and a calcium nodule.

2. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 1, wherein the deflection feature includes a swatch of material coupled to the attachment region, the material being selected from a group consisting of a fabric, a tissue and a polymer.

3. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 2, wherein the swatch of material is folded over the free edges of two of the leaflets.

4. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 3, wherein the swatch of material includes a pair of lobes joined to one another by a tailored neck, the tailored neck being folded over the free edges of the two leaflets.

5. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 2, wherein the leaflet has an inner surface and an outer surface and the swatch of material includes two symmetric wings, each wing being coupled to one of the surfaces of the leaflet.

6. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 5, wherein each wing has a quadrilateral shape.

7. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 1, wherein the deflection feature includes an enlarged rectangular attachment region rolled on itself about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction to form a coil.

8. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 1, wherein the deflection feature includes a leaflet tab connected to the attachment region of the leaflet.

9. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 8, wherein the leaflet tab has a parallelogram shape and is folded over the attachment region along a fold line extending substantially in the longitudinal direction.

10. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 8, wherein the leaflet tab has a parallelogram shape, the leaflet tab being folded on itself along a first fold line extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and being folded over the attachment region along a second fold line extending substantially in the longitudinal direction.

11. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 8, wherein the leaflet tab has equally an L-shape and is folded over the attachment region along fold lines extending substantially in the longitudinal direction and in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and then again in the longitudinal direction.

12. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 8, wherein the leaflet tab has generally an S-shape and is folded over the attachment region along fold lines extending substantially in the longitudinal direction and in a direction substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and then again in the longitudinal direction.

13. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 1, wherein the deflection feature includes a flap coupled to the cuff adjacent to each of the commissure features.

14. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 13, wherein the flap has generally an L-shape.

15. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 13, wherein the flap has a parallelogram shape.

16. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 13, wherein the flap has a triangular shape.

17. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 13, wherein the flap is folded on itself.

18. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 13, wherein the flap is rolled on itself to form a cushion.

19. The prosthetic heart valve according to claim 13, wherein the flap is coupled to at least one of the plurality of leaflets.

20. A prosthetic heart valve, comprising:

a stent having a plurality of commissure features;

a valve assembly secured to the stent, the valve assembly including a cuff and a plurality of leaflets, each of the leaflets having a pair of attachment regions and a free edge extending between the attachment regions; and

at least one of a swatch of material, a leaflet tab and a cuff flap disposed adjacent the attachment regions and configured and arranged to prevent the free edge of one of the plurality of leaflets from contacting at least one of the stent or the cuff.