Annuloplasty devices and related heart valve repair methods
First Claim
1. A device for repairing a heart valve comprised of valve tissue including an annulus and a plurality of leaflets for allowing and preventing blood flow, the device comprising:
- a first support ring, and a second support ring connected to said first support ring to form a coiled configuration, said first support ring configured to abut one side of the valve and said second support ring configured to abut an opposite side of the valve to thereby trap a portion of the valve tissue therebetween.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Devices for repairing and replacing a heart valve in various embodiments, the devices include at least first and second support rings connected together in a coiled configuration to abut opposite sides of a valve annulus. A replacement valve may be secured to the coil-shaped device. Various alternative fastening systems include suture fastening systems, mechanical fastening systems, shape memory alloy fastening systems and other fastening systems relying only on the resilience between adjacent coils. A method generally includes inserting a first end of the coil-shaped member through a valve annulus, rotating a first ring of the coil-shaped member into position on one side of the valve annulus and positioning at least a second ring of the coil-shaped member on an opposite side of the valve annulus.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A device for repairing a heart valve comprised of valve tissue including an annulus and a plurality of leaflets for allowing and preventing blood flow, the device comprising:
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a first support ring, and a second support ring connected to said first support ring to form a coiled configuration, said first support ring configured to abut one side of the valve and said second support ring configured to abut an opposite side of the valve to thereby trap a portion of the valve tissue therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
a plurality of fasteners extending between said first and second support rings.
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5. The device of claim 4, wherein said fasteners comprise sharp projections.
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6. The device of claim 4, wherein said fasteners comprises projections extending from said first support ring and receiving members on said second support ring configured to engage with said projections.
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7. The device of claim 1, further comprising an actuating member coupled to at least one of said support rings and operating to actuate the fasteners to an extended position through the valve tissue.
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8. The device of claim 1, wherein said first and second support rings are formed from a shape memory alloy.
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9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a removable material on at least one of said first and second support rings for reducing friction between the respective rings and the valve tissue during initial engagement therewith, said material being removable to increase the friction during securement of the device to the valve tissue.
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10. The device of claim 1, wherein opposed surfaces of said first and second support rings are roughened to facilitate engagement with the valve tissue.
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11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a coating of cushioning material on each of said opposed surfaces.
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12. The device of claim 1, wherein each of said support rings is formed from a fabric material.
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13. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of said support rings includes undulations.
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14. The device of claim 1, wherein said support rings are formed from a flat plate material.
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15. The device of claim 1, wherein said first and second support rings are formed integrally from a coiled rod with one end of said rod formed a leading end on said first support ring and another end of said rod forming a trailing end on said second support ring.
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16. The device of claim 15, wherein said leading and trailing ends are bent in generally opposite directions.
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17. The device of claim 1, wherein said first and second support rings have a multi-layered construction including an inner layer of a first material and an outer layer of a second material, said inner layer having a lower coefficient of friction than said outer layer, and said inner layer being exposed on opposed surfaces of said first and second support rings which are adapted to engage the valve tissue there between.
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18. The device of claim 1, further comprising a removable carrier configured to carry said first and second support rings into position on opposite sides of the valve and then be removed leaving said first and second support rings on opposite sides of the valve.
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19. The device of claim 1, wherein said first and second support rings are adjustable in diameter to allow adjustment of the valve annulus.
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20. A device for repairing a heart valve comprised of valve tissue including an annulus and a plurality of leaflets for allowing and preventing blood flow, the device comprising:
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a carrier, and a coil-shaped member connected to said carrier in a removable manner, said coil-shaped member having a first support ring configured to abut one side of the valve and a second support ring configured to abut an opposite side of the valve to thereby trap a portion of the valve tissue therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
a plurality of fasteners extending between said first and second support rings.
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22. The device of claim 21, wherein said fasteners comprise sharp projections.
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23. A method of repairing a heart valve comprised of valve tissue including an annulus and a plurality of leaflets for allowing and preventing blood flow, the method comprising:
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inserting a first end of a coil-shaped support through a portion of the valve tissue, rotating at least a first ring of the coil-shaped support to position the first ring on a first side of the valve, and positioning at least a second ring of the coil-shaped support on an opposite second side of the valve. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
fastening the first and second rings together to trap the valve tissue therebetween.
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25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of fastening the first and second rings together further comprises:
inserting fasteners through said first and second rings and through the valve tissue disposed therebetween.
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26. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of fastening the first and second rings together further comprises:
activating a plurality of sharp projections from said first ring toward said second ring and through the valve tissue disposed therebetween.
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27. The method of claim 23, wherein the inserting and rotating steps each further comprise:
extending the coil shaped support from a catheter.
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28. The method of claim 23, wherein said coil shaped support is coupled with a carrier during the inserting, rotating and positioning steps, and the method further comprises:
removing the carrier after the positioning step.
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29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:
driving a plurality of fastening elements through the coil shaped support and valve tissue, and against the carrier prior to removing the carrier.
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30. The method of claim 23, wherein said coil shaped support includes a material having a lower coefficient of friction than said outer surface, and the method further comprising:
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performing at least the inserting and rotating steps with the material disposed on at least a portion of the outer surface, and removing the material after the rotating step.
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31. The method of claim 30 further comprising:
removing the material after the positioning step.
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32. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
adjusting the diameter of at least one of said first and second rings to adjust the diameter of the annulus.
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33. The method of claim 23, further comprising:
coupling a replacement valve to at least one of said first and second rings.
Specification