Polymer heart valve with helical coaption surface

• US 6,454,798 B1
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Corcym SRL (LivaNova Plc)
• Original Assignee: Sulzer Carbomedics Inc. (Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Moe, Riyad
• Primary Examiner(s): Isabella, David J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chattopadhyay, Urmi
• Application Number:
  US09/746,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20020082687A1
• Time in Patent Office: 642 Days
• Field of Search: 623/2.12, 623/2.13, 623/2.15, 623/2.1, 623/2.33, 623/901, 623/909
• US Class Current: 623/2.12
• 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

Abstract

A polymer heart valve has a leaflet with a base geometry of a cylinder for simplicity and effective opening. A helical swept surface is added to the top of the cylinder to enhance stable coaption. The heart valve includes a plurality of flexible leaflets. Each leaflet includes a top portion and a bottom portion. The bottom portion is an axial section of a cylinder having an axis and a radius. A first section of the top portion is a surface defined by a first arc having a first radius swept along a first helix. The first arc is tangent to the axial section of the cylinder. A second section of the top portion is a surface defined by a second arc having a second radius swept along a second helix. The second arc is tangent to the axial section of the cylinder. The second helix is a left-handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder.

Claims

1. A heart valve comprising:

a body;

a plurality of flexible leaflets attached to the body, each leaflet including a top portion and a bottom portion;

the bottom portion being a surface defined as a cylinder having an axis, a radius and an axial section;

a first section of the top portion being a surface defined by a first arc having a first radius, said first arc being swept along a first helix, the first helix being a right handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder; and

a second section of the top portion being a surface defined by a second arc having a second radius, said second arc being swept along a second helix, the second helix being a left handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder.

2. The valve as defined in claim 1 wherein the first helix has a first pitch and the second helix has a second pitch equal to the first pitch.

3. The valve as defined in claim 1 wherein the first radius is equal to the second radius.

4. The valve as defined in claim 1 wherein the surface of the bottom portion has a curvature in one direction and the surface of each of the first and second top portions has a curvature in multiple directions.

5. The valve as defined in claim 1 including three identical leaflets.

6. A heart valve comprising:

a body;

a plurality of flexible leaflets attached to the body, each leaflet including a top portion and a bottom portion;

the bottom portion being a surface defined as a cylinder having an axis, a radius and a naxial section;

a first section of the top portion being a surface defined by a first arc swept along a first helix, the first arc being tangent to the axial section of the cylinder, the first helix being a right handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder; and

a second section of the top portion being a surface defined by a second arc swept along a second helix, the second arc being tangent to the axial section of the cylinder, the second helix being a left handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder.

7. The valve as defined in claim 6 wherein the first helix has a first pitch and the second helix has a second pitch equal to the first pitch.

8. The valve as defined in claim 6 wherein the first arc has a first radius and the second arc has a second radius and the first radius is equal to the second radius.

9. The valve as defined in claim 6 wherein the surface of the bottom portion has a curvature in one direction and the surface of each of the first and second top portions has a curvature in multiple directions.

10. The valve as defined in claim 6 including three identical leaflets.

11. The valve as defined in claim 6 wherein the leaflets are formed of a synthetic material.

12. A method of forming a heart valve comprising:

providing a body;

attaching a plurality of leaflets to the body;

providing a top portion and a bottom portion for each leaflet;

forming the bottom portion from a cylinder having an axis, a radius and an axial section;

forming a first section of the top portion by sweeping a first arc along a first helix, wherein the first helix is a right handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder; and

forming a second section of the top surface by sweeping a second arc along a second an axial section;

a first section of the top portion being a surface defined by a first arc having a first radius, said first arc being swept along a first helix, the first helix being a right handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder; and

a second section of the top portion being a surface defined by a second arc having a second radius, said second arc being swept along a second helix, the second helix being a left handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder.

13. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the first helix has a first pitch and the second helix has a second pitch equal to the first pitch.

14. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein said first arc has a first radius and said second arc has a second radius and the first radius is equal to the second radius.

15. The method as defined in claim 12 wherein the plurality of leaflets includes three leaflets.

16. A method of forming a heart valve comprising:

providing a body;

attaching a plurality of leaflets to the body;

providing a top portion and a bottom portion for each leaflet;

forming the bottom portion from a cylinder having an axis, a radius and an axial section;

forming a first section of the top portion by sweeping a first arc having a first radius along a first helix, the first arc being tangent to the axial section of the cylinder, wherein the first helix is a right handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder; and

forming a second section of the top surface by sweeping an arc having a second radius along the second helix, the second arc being tangent to the axial section of the cylinder, the second helix being a left handed helix having the same radius and axis as the cylinder.

17. The method as defined in claim 16 wherein the first helix has a first pitch and the second helix has a second pitch equal to the first pitch.

18. The method as defined in claim 16 wherein the first radius is equal to the second radius.

19. The method as defined in claim 16 wherein the plurality of leaflets includes three leaflets.

20. The method as defined in claim 16 wherein the leaflets are formed of a synthetic material.