Leaflet Design for Prosthetic Heart Valves

A transcatheter heart valve prosthesis with reduced stress and pinwheeling compared to conventional designs. The prosthesis has a one-piece molded valve with leaflets that have free edges in a chevron down pattern. This shape reduces pinwheeling and stress on the valve during expansion and contraction. The valve also has the valve cylinder directly attached to the stent inflow portion proximal to the skirt to further reduce prosthetic valve profile.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve with non-uniform leaflets that have movable sections and stiffer sections. The valve has a frame that expands and contracts. The leaflets are attached to the frame and have sections that move during valve opening/closing, and stiffer sections. The movable sections allow flexible leaflet motion, while the stiffer sections provide support and prevent excessive leaflet deformation. This reduces stress concentrations and leaflet tears compared to uniform leaflets. The non-uniform leaflets are formed as single continuous pieces. The valve assembly method involves attaching the stiffer sections to the frame while the movable sections are left flexible.

Source

Artificial heart valve leaflets made of polymer materials that have improved tear resistance compared to conventional polymer leaflets. The leaflets are made by coating a polyurethane layer onto a substrate of polyolefin or polysiloxane. The coating process involves dissolving the polyurethane in a solvent like N,N-dimethylacetamide and spreading it onto the substrate. This provides a composite leaflet with a hard segment (urethane) layer on a soft segment (polyolefin or polysiloxane) substrate. The composite structure improves tear resistance of the polymer leaflets. The coated leaflets also have better biocompatibility and adhesion to platelets compared to uncoated polymer leaflets.

Source

Collapsible prosthetic heart valves with optimized tissue thickness for better delivery and durability. The valves have leaflets made from tissue with non-uniform thickness. The thickness is greatest at the sewing edge and gradually decreases toward the free edge. This allows the valve to be compressed for delivery and then expand to full size once implanted. The thinner edges reduce the collapsible size. The thickness variation also improves durability by reducing stress concentrations. Collagen-producing cells like smooth muscle or stem cells can be incorporated in the tissue to further enhance durability.

Source

Transcatheter prosthetic heart valves that can be compressed for delivery via a catheter without damaging the leaflets. The valves have a skirt that fully encapsulates the leaflets both when compressed and expanded. This prevents localized forces from deforming the leaflets during compression. The skirt extends beyond the leaflet edges in the compressed state to protect them. The skirt also extends past the coaptation area in the expanded state. This configuration allows consistent loading of the valve into a compact catheter shape without risking leaflet damage.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve with a support structure that actively assists in opening and closing the valve leaflets. The support structure has resilient protrusions coupled to the leaflets and a base. When the transvalvular pressure becomes less negative, the protrusions begin to move from a closed position to an open position, aiding in valve opening. This provides active leaflet assistance compared to passive support structures. The resilient protrusions help the leaflets open and close without needing high leaflet stiffness.

Source

Artificial heart valve prosthesis that improves durability by distributing stress more evenly around the commissures connecting the valve leaflets to the stent. The valve has leaflets with flaps that extend beyond the commissures and are sutured at both the commissure and stent windows. This spreads forces across the joint instead of concentrating them at the commissure. It also uses hinge sheets between the commissures and flaps to reduce friction.

Source

Artificial polymer heart valve design with improved fatigue resistance and longer service life compared to conventional valves. The valve has a hollow frame with peaks at one end and multiple leaflets connecting adjacent peaks. The leaflets have a curved shape with at least one thinned region along the curve. The thinned regions increase stress dispersion and reduce peak stresses compared to uniform thickness leaflets. This improves fatigue resistance and extends valve life. The thinned regions also allow earlier leaflet opening for better overall valve performance.

Source

A prosthetic heart valve designed specifically for the tricuspid valve to address the unique challenges of treating tricuspid regurgitation. The valve is biomechanically secured to the native tricuspid valve leaflets instead of directly attaching to the annulus or chords. This allows the valve to pivot within the native valve annulus in response to pressure changes. The valve has asymmetric leaflets, expanded armsets, and covers to reduce leakage. The expanded armsets have asymmetric lengths to match the native valve leaflets. The covers surround the arms and contact the native valve leaflets. The valve maintains axial stability within the native annulus without attaching to it.

Source

Replacement heart valves made from a single molded sheet of collagen-based biomaterial that integrates the leaflets and body portion. The valves have fewer sutures than conventional valves since the leaflets and body are formed together. The valves are inserted into a stent and secured with fewer sutures compared to traditional valves. The molding process allows shaping the leaflets with concavities and variations in thickness. The valves have improved efficiency and cost compared to hand-sewn valves with separate leaflets and body pieces.

Source

An artificial heart valve design that reduces the risk of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and improves fatigue life compared to traditional circular valves. The valve has multiple incompressible valves arranged on a saddle-shaped support base. The individual valves are connected at their seats to form an overall elliptical shape. This prevents compression of the aortic valve when the mitral valve is replaced. The reduced height and width of the multi-valve assembly compared to a single circular valve also reduces the risk of left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

Source

A prosthetic tricuspid valve that can be implanted in a native tricuspid valve without direct attachment to the annulus or chordae tendineae. The valve has asymmetrical support structures that grasp the native leaflets and allow the prosthetic valve to move with the native valve during the cardiac cycle. This biodynamic design preserves native annulus motion and prevents issues like heart block. The valve has leaflets, covers, and arms that attach to the native leaflets and surround the native annulus.

Source

Artificial heart valve made of polymer material that opens and closes naturally like a natural heart valve. The polymer leaflets are arranged in a configuration that allows the valve to be in an open position in its natural state. This eliminates the need for anticoagulant drugs and reduces the risk of bleeding compared to mechanical valves. The polymer leaflets have a curved shape with different upper curves to prevent premature closure. This allows the leaflets to deform and open more easily with blood flow compared to flat polymer valves.

Source

Heart valve prosthesis made of a tubular support member with braided outer layers and leaflets attached to the inner wall. The leaflets are made by interlacing inner warp and weft threads to form layers. The leaflet edges are entangled between the outer braided layers using the inner weft threads. This allows the valve to be made entirely of woven fabric instead of separate components sewn together. The braided outer layers provide structure while the interlaced leaflets allow valve motion. The woven construction reduces fatigue and allows customized leaflet shapes.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve leaflet assembly with asymmetrical leaflets and commissure assembly configurations to improve durability and reduce wear compared to conventional symmetrical leaflet designs. The leaflets have tabs with vertical extensions that fold over adjacent leaflet tabs to form commissures.

Source

Expandable heart valve prosthesis that aims to improve durability and hemodynamics compared to existing transcatheter valves. The prosthesis has a frame with an outer coating instead of the typical inner coating. The valve leaflets are attached to the outer coated frame instead of the inner frame. This allows the leaflets to fully open beyond the frame size in the expanded state, improving hemodynamics. The outer coating reduces frame-tissue contact and inflammation compared to inner coatings. The coating material can be biocompatible polymers, bovine/porcine tissue, or pericardium. The outer coated frame can have radiopaque markers for precise positioning during delivery.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve with a unique cuff design to improve sealing, reduce leakage, and minimize impacts on surrounding tissue compared to traditional collapsible valves. The cuff has features like pleats, biasing elements, and movable sections to conform better to irregular anatomy and provide tighter engagement. The cuff can also have regions with varying thicknesses to match the native valve shape. This helps prevent leakage around the cuff and mitigate issues like mitral valve impingement.

Source

Heart valve prosthesis with a unique leaflet arrangement and connectivity between the valve and anchor components that allows separate replacement of the valve without removing the anchor. The valve has asymmetric leaflets that close the valve orifice in different angles. The leaflets are fixed to a conical support structure. The anchor has a skirt that folds around it and connects to the valve via seams. The valve and anchor are separated by the skirt folds, allowing valve replacement without anchor removal.

Source

A prosthetic heart valve designed to reduce tissue trauma and mechanical stress during implantation to avoid complications like rupture. The valve has an annular frame with leaflets that partially extend outside the frame at the inflow end. This unsupported portion of the leaflets connects to an outer skirt that extends beyond the frame. The skirt and outer leaflet edges avoid direct contact with the native anatomy, reducing trauma compared to fully frame-supported valves.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve leaflets that mimic the structure and function of natural heart valves to provide long-term durability and prevent valve failure. The leaflets are designed to replicate the composition, thickness, and shape of natural valve leaflets to optimize valve mechanics, competence, and coaptation. This involves balancing stiffness and flexibility, having redundant tissue at the leaflet tips for closure, and having elastic fibers extending from the hinge to the coaptation edge.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve design with a support structure that actively assists in valve opening and closing. The valve has synthetic leaflets and an elastic support structure with projections and a base. The leaflets transfer load to the elastic support during closing, which stores the energy. When the pressure decreases, the elastic support automatically starts opening in a precursory transition using the stored energy. This provides a natural valve-like pressure wave.

Source

Flexible synthetic leaflets for prosthetic heart valves that promote tissue ingrowth to reduce complications like thrombus formation. The leaflets have a composite structure with a porous synthetic membrane filled with a material that inhibits tissue growth. This inner layer is covered by an outer layer that promotes tissue ingrowth. The inner layer prevents excessive tissue growth, while the outer layer encourages normal tissue ingrowth. The composite structure allows tissue ingrowth while avoiding excessive tissue entanglement in the leaflets.

Source

A monoleaflet prosthetic heart valve designed to reduce thrombosis and hydraulic resistance compared to existing prosthetic valves. The valve has a specialized leaflet shape, size, and orientation. The leaflet has a flat side, a tapered side with a central groove, and a cylindrical surface. The groove, leaflet thickness, and angular motion are finely tuned dimensions to optimize flow and thrombosis. The leaflet is housed by struts that support it while restricting motion. The struts, valve size, and leaflet placement are adjusted based on the optimized dimensions.

Source

A heart valve replacement design with a stent and artificial valve that has improved durability. The stent has a joint with a fixed part attached to the stent and an elastic stretching part. The leaflet commissures of the artificial valve connect to the stretching part. This provides flexibility at the valve attachment point, dispersing stress and reducing concentrated forces. This extends the life of the valve compared to fixed attachment.

Source

Improved attachment mechanisms for prosthetic heart valves that reduces stress concentrations, abrasion, and stretching of the valve leaflets compared to conventional attachment techniques. The attachments allow the leaflets to move more freely relative to the frame during expansion and contraction. One mechanism involves suturing the leaflet scalloped edges to struts perpendicular to the scallop line, allowing sliding movement. Another mechanism uses a separate flexible element to connect the scalloped edge to the frame.

Source

Assembling commissures for prosthetic heart valves using folded leaflet tabs to reduce wear and simplify assembly compared to sutures. The method involves folding the commissure tabs of adjacent leaflets into overlapping layers, with the outer edges folded inward. These folded tabs are then joined together and attached to the valve frame using separate fasteners. The folded tabs are positioned tangential to the valve circumference outside the leaflet body. This allows the leaflets to move independently during valve operation while the commissures are fixed. The folded tabs provide a secure, wear-resistant commissure connection without stitching the leaflets directly to the frame.

Source

A durable transcatheter prosthetic heart valve that avoids calcification and degradation issues of existing prosthetic valves. The valve has optimized leaflet and stent designs, woven attachment to the stent, and reinforcements. The leaflets are thermoformed from polymer material into an optimized shape. The leaflets weave through the stent frame to anchor in place. This prevents shearing forces that can damage fixed-edge valves. Fibers or other reinforcements are added to enhance valve durability.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve made from a composite material containing fibrous reinforcements that resist calcification and tearing. The valve leaflet includes electrospun fibers embedded in a polymer matrix. The fibers can be composed of different materials to provide tailored physical and mechanical properties. The polymer matrix can be a polyisobutylene urethane copolymer for chemical inertness.

Source

Prosthetic heart valves with synthetic leaflets that are heat treated to improve motion and coaptation. The leaflets are made from synthetic materials like UHMWPE, PTFE, or polyurethane. Heat setting the leaflets at temperatures between 90-170°C for 20-30 seconds biases the leaflets towards either the closed or open position. Folds or creases formed during heat setting further guide leaflet motion. This heat treatment provides a more uniform leaflet shape and motion compared to untreated synthetic leaflets.

Source

Foldable prosthetic heart valve made from a flexible substrate that can be folded into the final valve shape. The valve has regions defining the leaflets and outer wall when folded. The leaflet regions are arcuate segments extending from the outer to inner periphery, with adjacent leaflets meeting at seams. The wall regions are between the leaflet seams. When folded, the seams form the cylindrical outer wall and the leaflets are the flexible parts extending from the inner to outer periphery.

Source

An artificial heart valve prosthesis design that improves the durability and lifespan of the valve by preventing excessive forces on the valve leaflets during operation. The valve has a unique configuration where the leaflets attach at the top to the inflow end of the stent and at the bottom to the outflow end. This allows the leaflets to open without forming an angle with the blood flow direction, reducing the radial component force on the leaflets. This avoids interference with the stent inner wall and friction that shortens valve life. The leaflets remain fixed at the top and bottom ends during closure to prevent excessive force.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve design to improve durability and reduce wear compared to conventional prosthetic valves. The valve has a frame with interconnected struts and leaflets with undulating cusp edges. The leaflet cusps connect to the struts via skirts. The skirts have yarns that intersect at oblique angles to the strut axis. This angled orientation provides larger skirt overlap and contact with the struts, increasing durability by reducing wear compared to parallel or perpendicular yarns.

Source

Heart valve replacement prosthesis that prevents paravalvular leaks and allows gradual adaptation of the heart to reduced mitral regurgitation. The prosthesis has an expandable frame, valve body, and annular skirt. The skirt has holes or porosity that allows some blood flow initially, gradually sealing over time. This prevents acute reduction in mitral regurgitation that can overload the heart. The skirt attaches to the native valve to prevent paravalvular leaks. The prosthesis can also have features like curved frame sections, matching struts, and intraluminal anchors for secure deployment.

Source

Collapsible prosthetic heart valve that can be delivered into a patient less invasively than valves that are not collapsible. The valve includes a stent extending in a longitudinal direction, the stent being formed of a plurality of struts forming cells and having a plurality of commissure features, a collapsed condition and an expanded condition.

Source

Artificial heart valve prosthesis with improved durability and reduced stress on the valve leaflets. The valve has a stent with windows, joints, and protrusions. The leaflets have protrusions that cover the joints and windows. This disperses stress and prevents calcification at the leaflet-stent connections. Additionally, an intermediate piece covers the joints to reduce friction and wear.

Source

Partially reinforced textile-based artificial heart valve leaflets that have improved durability and hemodynamics compared to conventional leaflets. The valve leaflets are made by selectively enhancing specific areas like the attachment edge, joint, and free edge using jacquard weaving techniques. These areas are reinforced with higher tightness, thickness, or both to match the functional requirements. This provides targeted property enhancement without compromising overall valve flexibility. The reinforced areas reduce stress concentration and tearing compared to uniform leaflets.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve with improved durability for younger, lower-risk patients. The valve has leaflets with a reinforcing material like sutures or a rigid skeleton attached to the biological tissue leaflets. This reinforcement provides strength to areas of the leaflets with higher stresses like the belly attachment points. It prevents tearing or hole formation compared to all-biological leaflets. The reinforced leaflets can better withstand forces without excessive thickness that would impede collapsibility. The valve also allows variable leaflet thickness to reduce volume while concentrating reinforcement where needed.

Source

Heart valve prosthesis that reduces the risk of folding and improves function when implanted in irregularly shaped annuli. The prosthesis has a stent armature with modified geometry to better match the shape of irregular annuli. This prevents the armature from deforming excessively when implanted in non-circular annuli like bicuspid valves. This reduces the risk of folding and improves leaflet function compared to standard prostheses implanted in irregular annuli. The modified stent geometry helps the prosthesis maintain proper orientation and position when implanted in non-circular annuli, preventing deformations that can lead to valve malfunction.

Source

Heart valve prosthesis with flexible leaflet and skirt components that can adapt to specific locations like the aorta. The prosthesis has a valve member with flexible leaflets and a valvular support structure, and an anchoring member with a flexible skirt. The leaflets and skirt can be made from materials like pericardium or bacterial cellulose. The skirt tapers conically like the valve member. This allows the prosthesis to conform to aortic geometry during implantation. The skirt and leaflets can be connected by sewing to prevent displacement. The skirt folds around the anchoring structure for fixation. A releasable connection between the valve and anchoring allows prosthesis replacement without removing the entire implant.

Source

Radially enhanced textile-based artificial heart valve with improved hemodynamic performance and durability. The valve uses a textile structure with radial yarns made of reinforcing yarn and polymer yarn. The reinforcing yarn percentage in the radial yarn is 1-50%. This enhances the valve's mechanical properties, bending resilience, fatigue resistance, and hemodynamic force compared to valves without radial reinforcement. The textile base leaflets are woven with circumferential yarns. The valve has a thin profile with good flexibility for TAVR implantation. The radial yarn proportion allows balancing leaflet thickness, mechanical strength, and flexibility.

Source

Composite leaflet material for artificial heart valves that have improved durability and reduced wrinkling compared to conventional materials. The composite material is formed by combining an expanded fluoropolymer membrane with an elastomer. The elastomer fills the pores of the expanded fluoropolymer. The composite leaflets made from this material exhibit elongation while maintaining strength and then increase in stiffness beyond a certain strain. This provides flexibility during valve opening without excessive wrinkling, and resistance to tearing or failure during long-term cyclic operation.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve design with collapsible leaflets that can be delivered via a catheter. The valve has an expandable stent frame and flexible leaflets that can collapse for delivery, then re-expand once deployed in the heart. The leaflets are secured to the stent frame and have features to prevent damage from abrasion. The valve design enables less invasive delivery compared to traditional open-heart surgery.

Source

Engineered heart valve leaflets with improved durability and mobility compared to existing single-layer valves. The valve leaflets have a multi-layer design with two independently movable electrospun layers that allow maximum flexibility and motion between the layers. The layers can be adhered at the edges or folded to create a bi-layer structure. This design provides greater flexibility and mobility compared to a single layer of similar thickness, reducing pressure gradients and improving valve performance. The multi-layer structure also enables endogenous tissue restoration (ETR) by making the leaflets porous and bioabsorbable to be replaced by natural tissue growth.

Source

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.

Source

Replacement heart valve with improved shape to enhance function and durability compared to flat or concave valves. The replacement valve has a cylindrical support structure and multiple artificial leaflets that attach at the base and move independently. The leaflet bases are partially convex when viewed from outside the support. This shape reduces stress concentrations and prevents bulging compared to flat or concave designs. The leaflet profiles allow full opening and prevent restriction. The valve can be implanted via open heart surgery.

Source

A heart valve prosthesis for interventional valve replacement that improves stability and reduces risks compared to existing devices. The prosthesis has a unique stent design with a grid structure and connected rods. The valve leaflets are attached to the inner side of the stent. This configuration provides better leaflet-stent connection stability compared to traditional designs, reducing the risk of leaflet detachment or damage. The grid structure also helps maintain leaflet shape and motion in the complex internal environment of the mitral valve.

Source

Collapsible prosthetic heart valves that reduce strain on the leaflets and improve durability compared to conventional designs. The valves have commissure attachment features that extend radially inward from the stent toward the valve leaflets. This allows the leaflets to be sutured together in the commissure area instead of directly to the stent. This redistributes strain away from the leaflets and stent junction, reducing the likelihood of tearing. The commissure attachment features also provide a fixed attachment point for the leaflets when the valve collapses, preventing them from folding onto each other. This improves valve collapse consistency and reliability. The method involves cutting and bending the stent to form the commissure attachment features.

Source

Heart valve prosthesis that reduces regurgitation and improves function compared to existing prostheses. The valve has uniformly distributed leaflets that are attached to the stent at angled ends. This prevents leaflet misalignment and asymmetric constraint that can cause regurgitation. A positioning member on the stent aligns with one leaflet angle projection. The skirt extending from the leaflet stent has a weaker first region that transitions to a stronger second region. This allows the skirt to deform and conform better to the native valve anatomy.

Source

Prosthetic heart valve leaflets made of composite materials with porous synthetic polymer films filled with elastomers to improve durability and biocompatibility. The leaflets have a porous synthetic polymer membrane with pores filled with an elastomer material like PMVE copolymer. This makes the membrane impermeable to prevent blood leakage. A non-elastomer PMVE copolymer coating is applied to prevent sticking. The composite structure provides flexibility, durability, and calcification resistance for long-lasting prosthetic valves.

Source

Artificial heart valve leaflet design to prevent regurgitation and reduce transvalvular pressure difference compared to existing artificial valves. The leaflets have overlapping main body walls and closing walls when closed, providing complete leaflet closure and avoiding regurgitation. This is achieved by having a main body wall and a separate closing wall on each leaflet that overlap when the valve is closed. This eliminates gaps between overlapping leaflets and prevents blood reflux. When the valve is open, the leaflets still overlap at the main body walls to ensure closure. The additional closing walls also help increase closure force.

Source