Optimizing Frame Design for Durable Prosthetic Heart Valves

A prosthetic heart valve that can be adapted for different implantation positions, procedures, and conditions using interchangeable components. The valve has a universal core with a contractible mesh stent and leaflets that can be anchored at the implant site using interchangeable adapters. The leaflets have movable cantilever struts connected by a wire. This allows tailoring the valve for specific applications by swapping adapters and sewing the components together. The interchangeable components enable versatility in implanting the valve for various positions, procedures, and conditions using a single valve design.

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Prosthetic heart valves with frames that expand and contract for customized sizing. The frames have interconnected struts with different segment lengths. The longer struts extend from the ends while the shorter ones connect between. This allows the frame to expand/contract by pivoting the struts. The strut length ratio lets the valve size adjust without needing to match the native annulus exactly. The valves also have features like locking mechanisms, skirt attachments, and expandable leaflets to facilitate implantation and retention.

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Prosthetic heart valve design that allows for improved attachment of the expansion and locking assemblies and simplifies assembly. The valve uses clamps with side arms to attach the expansion and locking assemblies to the frame. The clamps are attached to junctions on the frame struts and have openings to receive fasteners. This allows the clamps to pivot with the frame during expansion. The expansion and locking assemblies have recesses to receive the clamps.

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A medical device for replacing a worn-out prosthetic heart valve without open-heart surgery. The device is a new valve that can be implanted inside an existing prosthetic valve. The new valve has a lattice frame with protrusions that expand to engage the old valve's struts. This provides secure seating for the new valve inside the old one without reducing the blood flow area. The new valve can expand and replace the old one without needing a larger annulus. It allows valve-in-valve replacement of deteriorated prosthetic valves in lower-risk patients.

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Stemless prosthetic heart valve that minimizes the risk of cardiac pacing issues post implantation. The valve is secured to a lumen of the stent frame and has a lattice structure forming a tubular shape defining a circumference.

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A balloon catheter design that improves the expansion of stents in valve implants to reduce flaring. The balloon has an enlarged central region and/or conical flares at the ends to selectively increase expansion forces on the implant. This overcomes the stent-mounted prosthetic heart valve's tendency to expand with flared ends.

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A prosthetic heart valve with a unique frame design that aims to overcome the drawbacks of current designs. The frame has inner and outer struts that pivot at joints to form a collapsible and expandable structure. The struts have recessed portions at the pivot joints where segments of other struts are seated. This allows the struts to move parallel when compressed instead of shearing like scissors. It also prevents gaps forming between struts in the expanded state.

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Prosthetic heart valve design that enables smaller size and easier implantation compared to existing valves. The valve has an outer frame with anchor portions that attach to the heart tissue. An inner frame is connected only at the anchor locations inside the outer frame. This allows the outer frame to expand and anchor in the heart, while the inner frame remains compact during delivery. The valve is delivered through a small incision and expands inside the heart, reducing protrusion into chambers. The anchored outer frame secures the valve without needing extensive tissue fixation.

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Heart valve that facilitates valve-in-valve procedures and simplifies manufacturing techniques. The valve includes a dual wireform support frame that is reshaped into an expanded form in order to receive and/or support the expandable prosthetic heart valve therein.

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Collapsible prosthetic heart valve with a frame design that improves anchoring and reduces paravalvular leakage. The frame has an indentation that forms against the native valve annulus during expansion. This creates a sub-annular bulge that aids in anchoring the valve. The indentation is formed by compliant wires in the frame. Pressing the frame against the annulus during deployment causes the indentation to form. The bulge below the indentation prevents paravalvular leakage by providing additional anchoring force.

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A prosthetic heart valve design to minimize stress on the valve leaflets for improved durability. The valve has a collapsible stent frame with flexible connections between the stent cells. The flexible stent has a main body with proximal and distal ends, support struts, and one or more support posts. The stent cells at the proximal and distal ends are longitudinally spaced apart.

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Highly durable synthetic flexible leaflet prosthetic heart valve design that prevents premature failure. The valve uses a composite leaflet material with an expanded fluoropolymer membrane and an elastomeric material. It also has a unique leaflet shape with an isosceles trapezoid attachment zone on the frame. The composite material and shape prevent leaflet delamination and tearing. The valve has two frames, a nested leaflet frame and an outer frame, to provide structural support and prevent leakage. It can be delivered via transcatheter or surgical methods.

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Prosthetic heart valve that can be implanted percutaneously with guiding catheters. The valve includes a stent, a wire mesh, a collapsible wire valve frame and many other components that facilitate its stabilization and anchoring in the anatomic structures it contacts.

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Mitral valve replacement prosthesis that can be delivered minimally invasively and anchored securely without relying solely on friction. The prosthesis has a radially compressible main body that expands in the native mitral annulus, and ventricular and atrial anchors that extend outside the main body. In delivery, the compressed prosthesis is advanced into the mitral annulus, then the ventricular anchor self-expands to capture the mitral leaflet, and the main body expands to seal. This provides secure anchoring without relying solely on friction. The prosthesis also has features to reduce mitral regurgitation, like radial and axial configurations of the atrial portion.

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A support frame for treating valvular insufficiency by reducing the effective diameter of a native heart valve. The frame has adjustable leaflet-engaging mechanisms below peaks that clip onto the valve leaflets. It can be delivered collapsed, positioned at the valve, and expanded to clip the leaflets. This reduces the valve diameter and improves coaptation. The frame can also radially overexpand and engage the valve annulus, further reducing diameter. It allows implanting a prosthetic valve inside. The frame can have retaining arms to secure it. The frame can also have frame-retaining mechanisms to engage the aortic root/aorta.

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Prosthetic heart valve design to improve function and implantation in non-circular annuli. The valve has a frame with commissure portions and an annulus portion near the inflow edge. A fabric covers part of the frame. The valve assembly with leaflets is connected to the commissure portions. A stiffening member is positioned adjacent to the annulus portion to limit frame ovalization when radial force is applied. This prevents distortion of the valve assembly in non-circular annuli and maintains proper leaflet coaptation for better sealing and function.

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Delivery catheter and prosthetic heart valve design for minimally invasive aortic valve replacement. The prosthetic valve has a collapsible support structure that contracts for delivery through a catheter and expands in place. The valve segments fold, curl, or invert to reduce size for catheter insertion. This allows percutaneous deployment without open-heart surgery. The collapsible valve reduces the catheter size needed for delivery compared to fixed-size valves. The delivery catheter has features like a rotating gripper to load the collapsed valve and a sheath to cover the catheter.

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