Method of manufacturing artificial heart valves

Claim 1

Method for the production of an artificial cardiac valve, consisting of a prefabricated valve housing (3) and one or more valve flaps (6) arranged in the interior of the housing, in which by the immersion once or several times of a core (1), which is provided with surfaces formed corresponding to the shape of the valve flaps, into a polymer solution (2), the valve flap or flaps are formed on the core, characterized in that a) the core (1) for the production of the valve flaps (6) is slowly immersed into a first polymer solution (2) with a viscosity of 24-192 Pa - s and after the formation of at least one polymer layer on the core (1), it is slowly drawn out from the solution (2), that b) the core (1) with the polymer layer or respectively layers situated thereon is dried, that c) the prefabricated valve housing (3), the internal diameter of which is slightly greater than the external diameter of the core, is immersed into a second polymer solution (5) with a viscosity of 1.5-2 Pa . s and is held in this polymer solution, that d) the core (1) with the polymer layer or layers is slowly introduced into the second polymer solution (5) and the valve housing (3) which is held in the solution, whereby the polymer solution which is displaced on introduction of the core (1) into the interior of the valve housing (3) continuously flows out of the interior and then on the polymer layers on the core (1) and the valve housing (3) forms a coating connecting them, and that e) after the slow drawing out of the core (1) and of the valve housing (3) connected therewith from the second polymer solution (5) and after the drying of the coating, the cardiac valve is removed from the core (1).