Heart valve prosthesis

• US 4,276,658 A
• Filed: 02/07/1980
• Issued: 07/07/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: St Jude Medical Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: St Jude Medical Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Palmquist, William E., Hanson, Donald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): FRINKS, RONALD
• Application Number:
  US06/119,528
• Time in Patent Office: 516 Days
• Field of Search: 3/1.5, 3/1, 137/512.1, 137/527, 137/527.8
• US Class Current: 623/2.31
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2403 with pivoting rigid closure members check valves with hinged closure members in general F16K15/03
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/2409 Support rings therefor, e.g. for connecting valves to tissue annuloplasty rings A61F2/2442
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7839 Dividing and recombining in a single flow path
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7903 Weight biased

Abstract

A heart valve prosthesis coated in its entirety with pyrolytic carbon. In a preferred embodiment, the prosthesis is formed of a base having a blood passageway and dual leaflets pivotally secured to the base to regulate the flow of blood through the passageway. The pivot connection between the base and leaflets is formed by recesses in the base and projections on the leaflets, the recesses and projection termini being formed as surfaces of revolution. The valve is assembled by elastically deforming the base to allow insertion of the projections within the recesses.

Claims

1. In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway, the improvement wherein said maintaining means comprises:

(a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a concave bearing surface formed as a substantially continuous surface of revolution; and

(b) said regulating means comprising at least one leaflet having means projecting from the edge thereof and into said recess means, said projecting means being formed as a surface of revolution means about an axis normal to the plane of said leaflet and compatible with said concave bearing surface for forcibly flushing blood from said recess means upon operative movement of the projecting means of said leaflet within said recess means.

2. The prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said concave bearing surface and the termini of said projecting means are spherical.

3. In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway, the improvement wherein said maintaining means comprises:

(a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and

(b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means being formed as a surface of revolution means compatible with said bearing surface for flushing said recess means.

4. In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises:

(a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a concave bearing surface formed as a substantially continuous surface of revolution; and

(b) said regulating means comprising at least one leaflet having means projecting from the edge thereof and extending into said recess means, said projecting means engaging said concave bearing surface and being formed as a surface of revolution means about an axis normal to the plane of said leaflet and compatible with said concave bearing surface and to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

5. The prosthesis of claim 4 wherein said concave bearing surface and the termini of said projecting means are spherical.

6. The prosthesis of claim 4 wherein an edge surface of said recess means further comprises stop means defining at least one of said regulating means open and closed positions.

7. The prosthesis of claim 6 wherein said concave bearing surface and the termini of said projecting means are spherical.

8. The prosthesis of claim 4 wherein said base means, regulating means and pivot means are each formed of a substrate coated in their entirety with pyrolytic carbon.

9. The prosthesis of claim 8 wherein said concave bearing surface and the termini of said projecting means are spherical.

10. In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises:

(a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and

(b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

11. In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises:

(a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon, said recess means further comprising stop means defining at least one of said regulating means open and closed positions; and

(b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

12. In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises:

(a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and

(b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions, said projecting means termini being a spherical polygon.

13. In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises:

(a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a surface of revolution;

(b) said base means further comprising a first generally annular portion and second and third portions in opposing relation to each other and projecting from said first portion in the upstream direction, said second and third portions having flat inner faces and said recess means being within said faces; and

(c) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

14. The prosthesis of claim 13 wherein said regulating means comprises first and second occluder means each movable between open and closed positions.

15. The prosthesis of claim 14 wherein said second and third base means portions shield said occluder means when said occluder means are in the closed position.

16. The prosthesis of claim 15 wherein said bearing surface and said projecting means termini are spherical polygons.