Innovative Designs in Mechanical and Metallic Prosthetic Heart Valves

Prosthetic heart valve with metal leaflets having pores instead of using biological leaflets. The valve has a collapsible stent, cuff, and metal leaflets that coapt to close the valve and pivot open. The leaflets are made of braided wire or mesh with pores instead of using biological tissue. This makes the valve durable and less prone to erosion than valves with biological leaflets.

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Implantable pump systems assist blood flow and treat heart failure. The pump systems have moving valves that oscillate back and forth to propel blood. The valves have rigid closure members that can be actively moved to close or open. This allows precise control over the pumping action. The valves are driven by a reciprocating mechanism. The pumps can be fully implanted in the aorta or other vessels to boost blood flow and relieve heart failure symptoms.

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Medical devices containing amorphous metal alloys for improved biocompatibility, fatigue resistance, and corrosion resistance in implants. The devices can be temporary or permanent implants like sutures, surgical fabrics, orthopedic prostheses, heart components, and stents. The amorphous metal alloys are formed by chill block melt spinning, a process that avoids toxic additives. The devices benefit from the alloys' unique properties like high strength, elasticity, and corrosion resistance for implant durability.

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A flexible sizer for accurately determining the proper size of a prosthetic heart valve to be implanted during heart valve replacement surgery. The sizer has a body with an outer ring and an annular wall that extends from the ring. The annular wall has a flexibility similar to the annular extension of the prosthetic heart valve. This allows the sizer to better match the flexibility of the actual prosthetic valve when inserted into the patient's heart valve annulus, providing a more accurate size evaluation.

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Percutaneous prosthetic valves for implantation in mammals like humans, using metal or pseudometal films to make the valve flaps and graft covering. The valve flaps are made from layered metal films to improve mechanical properties compared to wrought metal. The graft covering has openings to allow cell migration but prevent fluid flow. The metal valve flaps are coupled to a stent and biased to close. The metal films provide improved mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and fatigue compared to wrought metal. The layered flaps also have better crack propagation resistance due to interface microroughness. The metal films are delivered endovascularly without removing the native valve.

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A miniature blood pump that can be implanted across a heart valve to provide long-term cardiac support without needing external cannulas. The pump is designed to fit within the valve annulus and protrude just into the ventricle or artery. It has an axial flow pump inside an adaptor that matches the valve leaflets. The adaptor seals against the valve to maintain normal flow when the pump is off. The pump is small enough to fit within the valve area and projects a short distance into the ventricle or artery. The pump is turned off to replace components without removing the device. This eliminates cannulas and reduces complications. The pump is also non-thrombogenic due to high flow washing its surfaces.

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A bi-leaflet prosthetic heart valve made of pyrolytic carbon and plastic components that provides improved durability, reliability, and performance compared to prior art valves. The valve assembly avoids issues like component warping, cracking, dislodging, and poor function by using molded plastic for the annulus and carbon for the leaflets and bearing blocks. This allows assembly without flexing and prevents deformities or slippage. The carbon components provide strength and closure while the plastic annulus allows flexibility. The carbon and plastic components work cooperatively for long-term durability and function.

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A pyrolytic carbon bi-leaflet prosthetic heart valve with improved reliability, durability, ease of assembly, and reduced cost compared to prior art designs. The valve uses a ring structure with removable and replaceable bearing blocks instead of integrated bearing surfaces. The blocks have tapers that mate with the ring's tapers for secure retention. This allows separate fabrication and replacement of the blocks, preventing damage to the pyrolytic carbon coating during assembly. The ring has recesses for the leaflet ears, but the other block provides the opposite bearing. This reduces contact between the ears and the ring, preventing slipping or dislodgement. The removable blocks also enable adjustment of axial play for optimal hinge engagement.

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Mechanical heart valve design with pivoting occluders to minimize blood flow turbulence and thrombosis. The valve has a longer axial length compared to traditional designs. The occluders pivot and translate to open and close, following the direction of blood flow. This reduces turbulence compared to fixed occluders. The valve body orifice is contoured to eliminate the usual zone of separation that causes turbulence. The extended length, pivoting occluders, and shaped orifice aim to reduce pressure drop and thrombosis risk in mechanical heart valves.

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Cardiovascular implants like heart valves and artificial hearts fabricated from zirconium or zirconium alloys coated with a thin layer of zirconium nitride or black or blue-black zirconium oxide to reduce wear and enhance blood biocompatibility. The coatings provide resistance to microabrasion and impact wear, which is important for long-term durability of implants. The coatings are formed by heat treating the zirconium in a nitrogen or ammonia atmosphere instead of air to force nitridation over oxidation. This prevents the naturally-present zirconium oxide from initiating microabrasion and wear.

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Improving blood flow through heart valves by integrally forming the valve ring and closing support strut to eliminate welds and allow optimal cross-section shapes. The strut can have a teardrop cross-section with increased area for strength, as the integral formation allows machining without distortion. This reduces flow obstruction compared to circular wires. Eliminating the weld fillet also allows smaller ring heights. The integral formation improves valve structural integrity and flow simultaneously.

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