Split leaflet heart valve

Claim 1

In a heart valve comprising a hollow annular valve body supporting a plurality of interfitting conically shaped identical leaflet portions each having equiangular arcs to form at least a two cusp valve which is seated for opening and closing movement at the base of each of said leaflet portions where said valve body supports leaflet portions, that improvement comprising: a valve seating means formed as a recessed circumferential groove of V section in said valve body at the upper edge thereof which constitutes the sole seating groove within which each leaflet is mounted for pivotal opening and closing movement; the V section of said groove being formed with one divergent inner surface along which a divergent conical base portion of each leaflet conforms, being formed with a rounded bottom portion at the bottom apex and being formed with a straight distal inner wall portion adapted to retain retaining, pivoting and leaflet spring means which also lie wholly within the groove; each of said leaflet portions being provided with at least one oversized opening at the base to accommodate a pin and further being formed as a hook at the bottom edge to conform to the curved bottom of the groove; a pin in each opening held at its ends between the inner divergent wall and the inner distal straight wall to serve as a pivot for the opening and closing movement of each of the leaflets with respect to the adjacent leaflet; each of said leaflet portions composed of foil selected from the class consisting of stainless steel, pyrolytic carbon and titanium; each of said leaflet portions having projecting rectangular lip portions which interfit against adjacent leaflet portions to lie flat against each other; and a plurality of leaf spring means lying wholly within said groove nesting against the hook edge of said leaflet portions on opposite sides of said pin and oversized openings and retained by the straight distal wall of said groove.