Transapical delivery system for heart valves
First Claim
1. A medical introducer and heart valve delivery catheter combination, comprising;
- a delivery catheter having a distal balloon of sufficient diameter to expand a heart valve crimped thereon, the delivery catheter comprising a catheter tube and the balloon is disposed on the end of a deflectable portion of the catheter tube actuated by a deflection pull wire, the delivery catheter also including a tubular valve pusher that slides over the catheter tube and moves longitudinally with respect to the balloon, and the delivery catheter further including a proximal control handle on which are mounted both a deflection actuator for deflecting the deflectable portion of the catheter tube and a pusher actuator for longitudinally displacing the valve pusher with respect to the balloon, both actuators being integrated into the control handle to facilitate one-handed operation of the two; and
an introducer having an elongated tubular sheath extending distally from a proximal housing containing at least one introducer valve for fluidly sealing around devices passed therethrough.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A delivery system for delivering a prosthetic heart valve to the aortic valve annulus. The system includes a delivery catheter having a steering mechanism thereon for delivering a balloon-expandable prosthetic heart valve to the aortic annulus in an antegrade fashion through an introducer passing into the left ventricle through its apex. The introducer may have a more floppy distal section than a proximal section to reduce trauma to the heart wall. The delivery catheter includes a deflecting segment just proximal to a distal balloon to facilitate positioning of the prosthetic heart valve in the proper orientation within the annulus. A trigger in a catheter handle may be coupled to a deflection wire that actuates the deflecting segment, while a slider in the handle controls retraction of a valve pusher. A pre-dilation valvuloplasty procedure may also be utilized.
150 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A medical introducer and heart valve delivery catheter combination, comprising;
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a delivery catheter having a distal balloon of sufficient diameter to expand a heart valve crimped thereon, the delivery catheter comprising a catheter tube and the balloon is disposed on the end of a deflectable portion of the catheter tube actuated by a deflection pull wire, the delivery catheter also including a tubular valve pusher that slides over the catheter tube and moves longitudinally with respect to the balloon, and the delivery catheter further including a proximal control handle on which are mounted both a deflection actuator for deflecting the deflectable portion of the catheter tube and a pusher actuator for longitudinally displacing the valve pusher with respect to the balloon, both actuators being integrated into the control handle to facilitate one-handed operation of the two; and an introducer having an elongated tubular sheath extending distally from a proximal housing containing at least one introducer valve for fluidly sealing around devices passed therethrough. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A medical introducer and heart valve delivery catheter combination, comprising;
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a delivery catheter having a distal balloon of sufficient diameter to expand a heart valve crimped thereon, the delivery catheter further including a proximal control handle and a plurality of concentric tubes extending from within the control handle including at least a balloon deflection tube and a balloon inflation tube that extends through the lumen of the balloon deflection tube, and at least one passive seal within the handle for sealing around one of the tubes, such that the passive seal does not prevent axial movement of the one tube; and an introducer having an elongated tubular sheath extending distally from a proximal housing containing at least one introducer valve for fluidly sealing around devices passed therethrough. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification