Prosthetic valve crimping device
First Claim
1. A prosthetic valve crimping device capable of reducing the diameter of an expandable prosthetic valve having a support frame by at least 10 mm, comprising:
- a base and housing fixedly mounted thereto, the housing defining a central axis and having at least six evenly spaced spoke-like guide channels, the guide channels each being at least 5 mm in length;
a plurality of circumferentially arrayed nesting jaws axially and rotatably constrained by but radially movable within the housing, each jaw having a camming member that extends axially into a guide channel, the number of jaws being the same as the number of guide channels, each jaw being substantially radially oriented and being formed of a single piece;
each jaw defining an inner end that has a partial crimping surface which combines with the same on the other jaws to form a crimping aperture of variable diameter and having an axial dimension sufficient to crimp an expandable prosthetic valve, each partial crimping surface terminating on one side at a point that is constrained to move along a radial line as the jaw moves along the guide channel;
a camming plate rotatable about the housing and having a plurality of cams, at least one for each jaw, which act directly on the camming members and move the jaws without any intervening connecting members; and
a manual actuator that rotates the camming plate and simultaneously moves the jaws in to reduce the aperture diameter by at least 10 mm to crimp an expandable prosthetic valve placed within the aperture, and subsequently out to release the valve after crimping.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved crimping mechanism well-suited for use with stented prosthetic heart valves. The crimping mechanism includes a plurality of jaws configured for linear non-rotational movement toward a central axis. A rotational plate is formed with a plurality of spiral grooves or tracks for engaging the jaws. Rotational movement of the spiral tracks produces linear movement of the jaws. Nesting of the inner ends of the jaws permits each to be acted on along different radial lines while their inner faces move together evenly to reduce the crimping aperture in a smooth fashion. The crimping mechanism is particularly well-suited for use with stented prosthetic heart valves, such as a prosthetic aortic valve, though it can also be applied to other stented heart valves, venous valves, and even stent grafts which tend to be fairly large.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A prosthetic valve crimping device capable of reducing the diameter of an expandable prosthetic valve having a support frame by at least 10 mm, comprising:
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a base and housing fixedly mounted thereto, the housing defining a central axis and having at least six evenly spaced spoke-like guide channels, the guide channels each being at least 5 mm in length; a plurality of circumferentially arrayed nesting jaws axially and rotatably constrained by but radially movable within the housing, each jaw having a camming member that extends axially into a guide channel, the number of jaws being the same as the number of guide channels, each jaw being substantially radially oriented and being formed of a single piece; each jaw defining an inner end that has a partial crimping surface which combines with the same on the other jaws to form a crimping aperture of variable diameter and having an axial dimension sufficient to crimp an expandable prosthetic valve, each partial crimping surface terminating on one side at a point that is constrained to move along a radial line as the jaw moves along the guide channel; a camming plate rotatable about the housing and having a plurality of cams, at least one for each jaw, which act directly on the camming members and move the jaws without any intervening connecting members; and a manual actuator that rotates the camming plate and simultaneously moves the jaws in to reduce the aperture diameter by at least 10 mm to crimp an expandable prosthetic valve placed within the aperture, and subsequently out to release the valve after crimping. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A prosthetic valve crimping device capable of reducing the diameter of an expandable prosthetic valve having a support frame, comprising:
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a housing defining a central axis and having at least six evenly spaced spoke-like guide channels; a plurality of circumferentially arrayed jaws axially and rotatably constrained by but radially movable within the housing, each jaw having a camming member that extends into a guide channel, the number of jaws being the same as the number of guide channels, each jaw being substantially radially oriented and being formed of a single piece having an outer end and an inner end, each inner end having a partial crimping surface which combines with the same on the other jaws to form a continuous crimping aperture of variable diameter and having an axial dimension sufficient to crimp an expandable prosthetic valve; a camming plate rotatable about the housing and having a plurality of spiral cams which act directly on the camming members and move the jaws without any intervening connecting members, the spiral cams extending around the axis through an angle of at least 60°
to provide a sufficient mechanical advantage to crimp expandable prosthetic valves; anda manual actuator that rotates the camming plate and simultaneously moves the jaws in to crimp an expandable prosthetic valve placed within the aperture, and subsequently out to release the valve after crimping. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification