Patent US20030171805A1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US20030171805A1
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US
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Heart valve structures
Assignee: St Jude Medical LLC
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Filing: 2003-02-13
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2023-02-13
Abstract
Abstract A replacement heart valve structure includes a structure of tissue which is an intact, mammalian heart valve that has been harvested and treated to preserve it. A conventional fabric sleeve is typically disposed concentrically around the outside of the tissue structure. A support structure is included to facilitate implanting the heart valve by somewhat increasing the stability of the heart valve structure, but without unduly rigidifying it. An annular sewing cuff may be added adjacent the blood inflow end of the valve structure to facilitate making the annular suture line that is required at that end.
Inventors
- 👤 Todd Berg
- 👤 Alex Peterson
- 👤 Matthew Weston
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 12:02
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61F; A61F2/00; A61F2/02; A61F2/24; A61F2/2412; A61F2/2418; A61F2220/00; A61F2220/0025; A61F2220/0075
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 34
Claim 1
Independent Claim
71 words
1 . A replacement heart valve structure for implanting into a patient comprising: a heart valve tissue structure that has been harvested from a mammal and preserved, the tissue structure having an annular blood outflow edge portion that undulates in the axial direction as one proceeds annularly around the outflow edge portion; and a resilient support structure that at least radially supports at least parts of the blood outflow edge portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
71 words
1 . A replacement heart valve structure for implanting into a patient comprising: a heart valve tissue structure that has been harvested from a mammal and preserved, the tissue structure having an annular blood outflow edge portion that undulates in the axial direction as one proceeds annularly around the outflow edge portion; and a resilient support structure that at least radially supports at least parts of the blood outflow edge portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
2 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the support structure comprises: a ring that extends annularly around the tissue structure.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
3 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 2 wherein the ring undulates to substantially follow the undulation of the blood outflow edge portion.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
4 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 3 wherein the support structure is secured to the tissue structure substantially all the way around the outflow edge portion.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
5 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the support structure is made of metal.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
6 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 5 wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of nitinol, stainless steel, and titanium.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
7 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the support structure comprises nitinol wire having diameter in the range from about 0.010 in to about 0.018 in.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
8 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the support structure is made of plastic.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
24 words
9 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 8 wherein the plastic is selected from the group consisting of urethanes and acetyls.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
10 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the support structure comprises: a sleeve that extends annularly around at least an axial portion of the tissue structure.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
30 words
11 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the support structure is configured to resiliently bias at least a portion of the tissue structure radially outwardly.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
23 words
12 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the support structure comprises: a plurality of separate, annularly spaced segments.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
13 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 12 wherein at least one of the segments includes an aperture adapted for passage of a suture therethrough.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
53 words
14 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the support structure also has an annular blood inflow edge portion, and wherein the replacement heart valve structure further comprises: a second resilient support structure that at least radially supports parts of the tissue structure adjacent the blood inflow edge portion.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
41 words
15 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 14 wherein the first and second support structures are connected to one another at a plurality of locations that are annularly spaced from one another around the replacement heart valve structure.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
16 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 further comprising: a fabric sleeve disposed annularly around the outside of the tissue structure.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
25 words
17 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 16 wherein the support structure is captured between the tissue structure and the fabric sleeve.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
38 words
18 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 wherein the tissue structure also has an annular blood inflow edge portion that undulates in the axial direction as one proceeds annularly around the inflow edge portion.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
38 words
19 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 further comprising: a radially outwardly projecting cuff that extends annularly around the tissue structure for facilitating suturing of the replacement heart valve structure to the patient's tissue.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
34 words
20 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 19 wherein the tissue structure also has an annular blood inflow edge portion, and wherein the cuff is adjacent the blood inflow edge portion.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
24 words
21 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 19 wherein the cuff comprises material that can be penetrated by a suture needle.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
28 words
22 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 1 further comprising: structure for releasably deflecting free end portions of the blood outflow edge portion radially inwardly.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
82 words
23 . A replacement heart valve structure for implanting into a patient comprising: a heart valve that has been harvested from a mammal and preserved, the heart valve having a tubular outer portion including a plurality of commissure posts and a plurality of valve leaflets extending into the interior of the tubular portion between the commissure posts; and a support structure extending annularly around the heart valve adjacent the commissure posts for providing at least some radial support to the commissure posts.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
82 words
23 . A replacement heart valve structure for implanting into a patient comprising: a heart valve that has been harvested from a mammal and preserved, the heart valve having a tubular outer portion including a plurality of commissure posts and a plurality of valve leaflets extending into the interior of the tubular portion between the commissure posts; and a support structure extending annularly around the heart valve adjacent the commissure posts for providing at least some radial support to the commissure posts.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
20 words
24 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 23 wherein the support structure is radially flexible but resilient.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
19 words
25 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 23 wherein the support structure comprises a metal ring.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
19 words
26 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 23 wherein the support structure comprises a tubular sleeve.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
25 words
27 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 23 wherein the support structure is configured to resiliently deflect the commissure posts radially outwardly.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
49 words
28 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 23 wherein the tubular portion further comprises an axial recess between each annularly adjacent pair of the commissure posts, and wherein the support structure undulates axially to substantially follow the commissure posts and recesses annularly around the heart valve.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
26 words
29 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 23 further comprising: a radially outwardly projecting sewing cuff that extends annularly around the heart valve.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
31 words
30 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 29 wherein the sewing cuff is adjacent an axial end of the heart valve that is remote from the commissure posts.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
22 words
31 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 29 , wherein the sewing cuff is penetrable by a suture needle.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
36 words
32 . The replacement heart valve structure defined in claim 23 further comprising: structure for releasably deflecting free end portions of the commissure posts and associated portions of the support structure radially inwardly toward one another.
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