Heart valve prosthesis

• US 4,297,749 A
• Filed: 02/27/1980
• Issued: 11/03/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albany International Corporation, Washington University In St Louis
• Original Assignee: Albany International Corporation, Washington University In St Louis
• Inventors: Clark, Richard E., Davis, Robert B., Skelton, John, Swanson, Wilbur M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frinks, Ronald L.
• Application Number:
  US06/125,121
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: 3/1.5, 3/1, 3/1.4
• US Class Current: 623/2.19
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B21F 45/008 of medical instruments, e.g. stents, corneal rings medical science A61
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 623/90 Stent for heart valve

Abstract

A frame system for heart valve prosthesis. A first frame has at least three generally parallel legs each comprising a pair of rod portions connected at one end and diverging at the other end as lobes respectively connecting with rod portions of others of said legs. The lobes form an aperture therebetween and the legs are adapted to receive the margin of a valve leaflet between the rod portions thereof. Thus, the leaflet may be secured to two adjacent legs and the interconnecting lobe so as to have a free edge extending between said adjacent legs. A second frame is adapted to nest with the first frame and comprises a rod formed to be substantially congruent with the interconnecting lobes, whereby the leaflets may be secured to and between the frames.

Claims

1. A frame system for a heart valve prosthesis comprising:

a first frame having at least three generally parallel legs each comprising a pair of rod portions connected at one end and diverging at the other end as lobes respectively connecting with rod portions of others of said legs, the lobes forming an aperture therebetween, said legs being adapted to receive the margin of a valve leaflet between the rod portions thereof, whereby said leaflet may be secured to two adjacent legs and the interconnecting lobe so as to have a free edge extending between said adjacent legs; and

a second frame adapted to nest with said first frame comprising a rod formed in a closed loop to be substantially congruent with each of said interconnecting lobes between the points of divergence at said other ends of each of said pairs of rod portions, whereby said leaflet may be secured to a lobe by passing it between said frames.

2. A frame system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said legs are equidistant.

3. A heart valve prosthesis comprising:

a first frame having at least three generally parallel legs each comprising a pair of rod portions connected at one end and diverging at the other end as lobes respectively connecting with rod portions of others of said legs, the lobes forming an aperture therebetween,

a plurality of flexible leaflets each inserted between the rod portions of two adjacent legs of said first frame, secured to said legs and the interconnecting lobe and having a free edge extending between said adjacent legs, the free edges of said leaflets being deflectable into mutual contact for sealing said aperture, and

a second frame comprising a rod formed in a closed loop to be substantially congruent with said interconnecting lobes between the points of divergence at said other ends of each of said pairs of rod portions, the leaflets being secured to the lobes by passing them between said frames.

4. A heart valve prosthesis as set forth in claim 3 wherein said leaflets are constituted of fabric.

5. A heart valve prosthesis as set forth in claim 3 wherein each of said leaflets consists essentially of a textile of filaments, each leaflet being sealed to the frames externally of the aperture by adhesive applied along the lines of juncture of each pair of leaflets where they enter between each pair of rod portions, and along said lobes where each leaflet passes between said frames.

6. A heart valve prosthesis as set forth in claim 3 wherein said legs are equidistant.