Hinged heart valve prosthesis

Claim 1

A heart valve prosthesis, comprising: an annular valve member; and two substantially semicircular leaflets supported in said annular valve member by a hinge mechanism so as to be pivotable between an open position and closed position, each leaflet being evenly curved in two orthogonal directions, one of which is perpendicular to a diameter of the leaflet, such that said leaflets bulge in an outward direction relative to a center of said annular valve member and abut one another along an entire length of respective diametral edges thereof when in a closed position, said hinge mechanism having hinge members including a pair of spaced-apart recesses and a cooperating pair of hinge projections for each leaflet, said pair of projections being disposed on one of an inside of said annular valve member and a semicircular edge of the leaflet, and said pair of recesses being disposed on the other of said inside of said annular valve member and said semicircular edge of the leaflet, said hinge members being positioned such that said leaflets open in said outward direction and allow at least 70% of a bloodflow through said annular valve member to pass therebetween; and a pair of substantially isosceles-triangle-shaped sealing projections disposed entirely within a width of said annular valve member so as to sealingly abut corner portions of said leaflets near opposite ends of said diametral edges of said leaflets when said leaflets are in said closed position, with a respective apex between equal sides of each sealing projection being directed in said outward direction and said equal sides extending substantially to two of said hinge members formed on said inside of said annular valve member.