Heart valve prosthesis

Claim 2

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway, the improvement wherein said maintaining means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a concave bearing surface formed as a substantially continuous surface of revolution; and (b) said regulating means comprising at least one leaflet having means projecting from the edge thereof and into said recess means, said projecting means being formed as a surface of revolution means about an axis normal to the plane of said leaflet and compatible with said concave bearing surface for forcibly flushing blood from said recess means upon operative movement of the projecting means of said leaflet within said recess means.

Claim 3

The prosthesis of claim 1 wherein said concave bearing surface and the termini of said projecting means are spherical.

Claim 4

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway, the improvement wherein said maintaining means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and (b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means being formed as a surface of revolution means compatible with said bearing surface for flushing said recess means.

Claim 5

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway, the improvement wherein said maintaining means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and (b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means being formed as a surface of revolution means compatible with said bearing surface for flushing said recess means.

Claim 6

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a concave bearing surface formed as a substantially continuous surface of revolution; and (b) said regulating means comprising at least one leaflet having means projecting from the edge thereof and extending into said recess means, said projecting means engaging said concave bearing surface and being formed as a surface of revolution means about an axis normal to the plane of said leaflet and compatible with said concave bearing surface and to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

Claim 7

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a concave bearing surface formed as a substantially continuous surface of revolution; and (b) said regulating means comprising at least one leaflet having means projecting from the edge thereof and extending into said recess means, said projecting means engaging said concave bearing surface and being formed as a surface of revolution means about an axis normal to the plane of said leaflet and compatible with said concave bearing surface and to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

Claim 8

The prosthesis of claim 4 wherein said concave bearing surface and the termini of said projecting means are spherical.

Claim 9

The prosthesis of claim 4 wherein an edge surface of said recess means further comprises stop means defining at least one of said regulating means open and closed positions.

Claim 10

The prosthesis of claim 6 wherein said concave bearing surface and the termini of said projecting means are spherical.

Claim 11

The prosthesis of claim 4 wherein said base means, regulating means and pivot means are each formed of a substrate coated in their entirety with pyrolytic carbon.

Claim 12

The prosthesis of claim 8 wherein said concave bearing surface and the termini of said projecting means are spherical.

Claim 13

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and (b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

Claim 14

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and (b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

Claim 15

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon, said recess means further comprising stop means defining at least one of said regulating means open and closed positions; and (b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

Claim 16

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon, said recess means further comprising stop means defining at least one of said regulating means open and closed positions; and (b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

Claim 17

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and (b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions, said projecting means termini being a spherical polygon.

Claim 18

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a spherical polygon; and (b) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions, said projecting means termini being a spherical polygon.

Claim 19

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a surface of revolution; (b) said base means further comprising a first generally annular portion and second and third portions in opposing relation to each other and projecting from said first portion in the upstream direction, said second and third portions having flat inner faces and said recess means being within said faces; and (c) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

Claim 20

In a heart valve prosthesis of the type having base means including a blood passageway, means for regulating the flow of blood through the passageway and pivot means for maintaining the regulating means in operative relation to the passageway while allowing the regulating means to pivot, under the influence of the blood flow in said passageway, between open and closed positions, the improvement wherein said pivot means comprises: (a) recess means within said base means, said recess means having a bearing surface formed as a surface of revolution; (b) said base means further comprising a first generally annular portion and second and third portions in opposing relation to each other and projecting from said first portion in the upstream direction, said second and third portions having flat inner faces and said recess means being within said faces; and (c) means projecting from said regulating means into said recess means, the termini of said projecting means engaging said bearing surface and being configured to wipe the bearing surface and flush the recess means on movement of the regulating means between said open and closed positions.

Claim 21

The prosthesis of claim 13 wherein said regulating means comprises first and second occluder means each movable between open and closed positions.

Claim 22

The prosthesis of claim 14 wherein said second and third base means portions shield said occluder means when said occluder means are in the closed position.

Claim 23

The prosthesis of claim 15 wherein said bearing surface and said projecting means termini are spherical polygons.