Advanced Techniques in Anchoring and Fixation of Prosthetic Heart Valves

Prosthetic device for treating heart valve regurgitation that can be implanted in a minimally invasive manner without requiring sutures or an open surgical procedure. The device captures a leaflet of a native heart valve between an anchor and an outer body to seal the valve and reduce regurgitation. The body prevents blood flow through it during systole and diastole. The device can be delivered through a catheter and is retrievable and repositionable.

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Prosthetic heart valve that can be compressed and expanded for transcatheter delivery. The valve has distal, proximal, and septal subannular anchoring elements to secure it in a native valve annulus. The septal element extends below the annulus to stabilize the valve against rotation. This anchoring configuration allows the valve to be side-loaded into a catheter for delivery, instead of fully compressing it radially. It is released from the catheter to expand and anchor in the annulus. The septal element pinning the native leaflet prevents dislodgement.

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Catheter system for transvascular implantation of prosthetic heart valves with self-expanding anchoring systems that can be implanted with minimal invasion and reduced risk to the patient. The catheter has a flexible, bendable distal section to navigate through the aorta without damaging the vessel walls. It also has a mechanism to retract the valve into the catheter if it is improperly positioned for repositioning rather than attempting to remove it.

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Prosthetic heart valve that can be implanted more quickly and easily than current valves, reducing the time needed on cardiopulmonary bypass. The valve has a two-stage design where a radially expandable base stent anchors to the heart valve annulus first, then a valve component with an expandable coupling stent connects to the base stent.

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Method of assembling prosthetic heart valves with improved leaflet attachment using buckle clamps. The assembly method involves pre-assembling the leaflets by wrapping their tabs around buckle clamps. The preassembled leaflet/clamp units are then attached to the valve frame. This improves attachment compared to directly suturing leaflet tabs to the frame.

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A valve holder system for deploying bioprosthetic aortic and mitral valves without tangling sutures or damaging the leaflets. The holder has a plunger that displaces sutures to inwardly deflect the commissure posts of the prosthetic valve during deployment. This prevents sutures from catching on the posts and tangling. The holder is attached to the valve and a delivery handle. When the handle is actuated, the plunger moves to deflect the sutures and collapse the valve for deployment.

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A mitral valve replacement system that can be delivered and repositioned in a controlled manner using inverted deployable anchors. The valve prosthesis has expandable feet at the end of its frame, which can pivot from an inverted position to an expanded position upon release. The delivery instrument can collapse the anchors to the inverted position for crossing the native valve annulus, then extend them once past the annulus to anchor the valve subannularly. This controlled anchor deployment allows repositioning the valve if needed. The pivotable inverted anchors ensure secure attachment without damaging heart tissue.

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Prosthetic heart valve designed to be implanted in less time than current devices. It uses a two stage design where a tissue anchoring member is first deployed to secure to the native valve annulus, followed by attachment of the valve member to the anchoring member. This allows for faster implantation compared to sewing in a valve. The anchoring member can be expandable to quickly anchor in place. The valve member can then be attached to the anchoring member.

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Packaging design for prosthetic heart valves that securely retains the valve within a jar and facilitates retrieval therefrom. The packaging assembly includes a jar, a prosthetic heart valve, a valve holder, and a packaging sleeve. The sleeve fits closely within the jar and has a clip structure for securing the valve holder. This allows the valve assembly to be packaged with the valve inverted. A shaft can then be inserted through the valve to attach to the holder and lift the valve out of the jar for implantation.

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Holder to facilitate implantation of mitral prosthetic heart valves. The holder attaches to the inflow end of the valve and includes a mechanism to flex the commissure posts inward to prevent suture looping during deployment. It also has a handle that angles outward for better visualization and manipulation. The holder can tension sutures connected to the valve to constrict the commissures.

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Prosthetic heart valve that can be used for transcatheter delivery and placement to replace damaged mitral valves. The prosthetic valve has features to aid delivery and positioning. It includes an anchoring tether coupling portion to secure a tether that attaches the valve to the heart wall. The tether maintains valve position. The coupling portion can also engage with a positioning device to help position the valve during delivery.

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Device for accurately positioning a prosthetic heart valve during minimally-invasive transvascular implantation to improve outcomes over prior techniques. The device includes a self-expanding stent that can be inserted into the patient's aortic valve to define a precise position and alignment for the prosthetic valve. A separate self-expanding stent with the prosthetic valve is then inserted into the artery. When the stents expand, they interlock to fix the prosthetic valve in the predetermined position set by the aortic stent. This ensures accurate angular alignment and reduces risk of malpositioning.

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Percutaneous transcatheter valve replacement for dysfunctional heart valves like the mitral, tricuspid, and aortic valves. The method involves using a specially designed prosthetic valve that can be everted to a compressed pre-deployment configuration to fit inside a catheter, then expanded to a deployed configuration once positioned at the valve annulus. The expanded valve is secured in place with tethers that pierce the surrounding tissue. This allows precise positioning and secure attachment without sutures or adhesives.

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Percutaneously implantable prosthetic mitral valve designed for secure fixation in the native mitral valve anatomy, ease of deployment and ability to be repositioned. The valve has separate anchor and valve components that can be deployed independently. The anchor expands to engage sub-annular tissue and stabilize the valve, while the valve attaches to the anchor and replaces the native valve function. The valve and anchor can be separately mounted to a delivery catheter system.

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A two-step deployment method for prosthetic heart valves that allows for collapsible valves with fewer layers and a simpler design to be used. The method involves first implanting an expandable anchoring platform in the patient's heart. Then a separate expandable valve with interlocking features is deployed inside the anchored platform. The valve expands and locks into the platform to complete the implant. This sequential deployment allows for collapsible valves without multi-layer designs while still having secure anchoring.

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