Innovations in Flow Regulation for Prosthetic Heart Valves

Prosthetic heart valve design to mitigate blood stagnation and reduce fluttering of the valve flaps. The valve has additional openings in the inner wall through which blood can be redirected away from the main flow path. This mitigates stagnation points and promotes laminar flow. The openings are positioned and sized to prevent turbulence and maintain low shear stress. The redirected flow flushes the valve walls. The valve also has sub-passages to further control flow and reduce volumetric flow rate. Tethers can couple the flaps to prevent excessive fluttering.

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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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Valved conduit prostheses with a valve structure that can be used to replace diseased heart valves and vessels. The prostheses have a flexible leaflet that opens and closes to act as a valve and a conduit lumen. The leaflet attaches externally to the conduit without penetrating the interior. This reduces thrombus formation compared to internal attachment methods. The prostheses can replace native valves and vessels like the pulmonary valve and aortic root. The leaflet-conduit attachment allows easier implantation and avoids reconstruction. The prostheses can be rinsed and not pre-clotted before implantation.

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Transcatheter prosthetic heart valves that can be delivered through small diameter catheters and deployed orthogonally to the long axis of the catheter. The valve has a compressible tubular frame with an inner flow control component that permits flow in one direction. The valve is deployed by releasing it from the catheter, transitioning from a compressed to expanded configuration. It can be delivered to desired locations in the body via catheters with reduced profile compared to traditional valves.

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An implantable valve prosthesis for preventing blood reflux from the heart chambers into veins like pulmonary or caval veins. The valve has a collapsible tube with a closed end that protrudes beyond the stent's opening. A stabilization wire supports the tube end to prevent collapse. The valve opens in the neutral state but closes when pressurized. Two valves can be connected to span multiple veins. This allows implanting a single valve in veins connecting to both atria, like pulmonary veins or caval veins, to prevent backflow into the veins during systole.

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Prosthetic heart valve with modified structure to reduce pressure drop across the valve. The valve has a support frame with undulating inflow cusps and outflow commissure posts that angle outward to widen the outflow orifice. The flexible leaflets attach to the cusps and coapt in the middle. When the valve opens, the leaflets spread outward to provide an outflow orifice area at least as large as the maximum flow orifice area. This prevents flow restriction. The angled commissures provide a larger exit orifice than entrance orifice to induce laminar flow and reduce pressure drop.

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Minimally invasive replacement mitral valve prosthesis with a self-expandable anchor that can be delivered through small incisions and access routes. The anchor has a ventricular, atrial, and central portion. The atrial anchor is separate from the central portion. The anchor expands radially to secure the valve in place. The central portion has aligned apertures that connect to aligned apertures in the atrial anchor. Couplers extend through these apertures and are plastically deformed to secure the anchor components together. This allows the anchor to collapse for delivery and expand to secure the valve. The separate atrial anchor allows flexibility in size and shape for better fit compared to integrated designs.

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Valved conduits with reduced thrombus formation for implantation in the heart. The valved conduits have leaflets that are non-mechanically attached to the outside of the conduit instead of being sewn or otherwise fixed. The lack of mechanical fasteners, sinuses, and gaps between the leaflets lessens the opportunity for thrombus formation in the conduit compared to traditional prosthetic valves. The valves can be made from synthetic materials and avoid using biological tissue.

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A prosthetic heart valve that gradually reduces regurgitation over time to allow the body to adapt to the new valve. The valve has features like temporary openings, degradable components, and growing tissue that restrict flow after deployment. This prevents sudden changes in afterload/preload that could cause heart failure. The valve starts with regurgitation then gradually seals off the temporary openings as tissue grows. Some components degrade over time as well. This allows the body to adapt to the new valve's functionality instead of having an instant change.

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Implantable medical device to proactively manage heart failure by continuously monitoring left atrial pressure (LAP) and selectively shunting blood between chambers to adjust LAP. The device has a shunt extending between the left atrium and left ventricle with an occludable lumen. Sensors in the left atrium monitor LAP. If LAP rises indicative of heart failure worsening, the shunt occlusion is adjusted to shunt more blood from left atrium to ventricle, lowering LAP. This provides earlier intervention compared to waiting for symptoms before using devices like ventricular assist devices.

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A less invasive treatment for heart valve problems like congestive heart failure that involves placing one-way valves in the patient's arteries and veins outside of the heart instead of replacing or repairing the heart valves. The valves are inserted upstream or downstream of the heart to assist blood flow. The external valves avoid the need to open the heart during surgery and preserve the native valves in case of failure. The external valves can also be endoscopically inserted to minimize invasiveness.

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A method to improve heart valve function by combining structural repair with electrical stimulation. The method involves structurally altering a valve like mitral valve to improve function. Blood flow through the repaired valve is then monitored. Based on the flow, nearby heart segments are stimulated electrically to restore pump function. This coordinated approach addresses both valve insufficiency and weakened heart segments. An interstitial implant around the valve senses flow, and epicardial electrodes nearby stimulate heart segments. A central processor coordinates the flow sensing and stimulation.

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A prosthetic venous valve designed to replace damaged or incompetent venous valves in the human body, particularly in the lower extremities. The valve allows forward blood flow with low pressure gradients like during muscle contraction, while preventing backward flow and leakage at physiological pressures. The valve is implantable in venous vessels like the iliac, femoral, or saphenous veins. It is biocompatible, flexible, low thrombogenicity, and durable enough for repeated cycles in the body. The valve design accommodates vein anatomy and mechanical properties, with compliant leaflets that flex during flow reversal and a stiffer valve body to maintain an open shape.

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Intraluminal valve prosthesis for treating venous insufficiency that allows controlled retrograde flow. The valve has a support frame and at least one leaflet attached to it. The leaflet regulates forward flow through the vessel. But when closed, the leaflet allows a small amount of retrograde flow. This mimics natural valves that leak a bit to prevent pooling. The controlled retrograde flow reduces thrombus formation compared to fully closed prosthetic valves.

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Implantable device for detecting cardiac events and providing more specific and targeted therapy. The device has sensors to measure multiple physiological parameters like electrocardiogram (ECG), valve position, blood flow, pressure, and temperature. By combining data from multiple sensors, it provides increased specificity for detecting events like low cardiac output versus bradycardia, or fibrillation versus low output. This allows more accurate and targeted therapy like pacing or defibrillation. It also enables measurement of parameters like left-sided heart function that are difficult to access.

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A flow control device for treating pulmonary edema and congestion by reducing regurgitant flow in the pulmonary veins. The device is implanted between the pulmonary veins and left atrium to prevent backflow into the lungs. It can be a valve, pump, or manifold to reroute blood flow. The device can be delivered percutaneously or surgically. By controlling pulmonary venous blood flow, it aims to lower pulmonary pressures and prevent edema.

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