INTEGRATED HYBRID HEART VALVES

摘要

A prosthetic heart valve configured to replace a native heart valve and having a support frame configured to be reshaped into an expanded form in order to receive and/or support an expandable prosthetic heart valve therein is disclosed, together with methods of using same. The prosthetic heart valve may be configured to have a generally rigid and/or expansion-resistant configuration when initially implanted to replace a native valve (or other prosthetic heart valve), but to assume a generally expanded form when subjected to an outward force such as that provided by a dilation balloon or other mechanical expander. An inflow stent frame is expandable for anchoring the valve in place, and may have an outflow end that is collapsible to a limited degree for delivery and expandable post-implant to facilitate a valve-in-valve (ViV) procedure. The hybrid heart valves eliminate earlier structural bands, which both reduces manufacturing time and facilitates a ViV procedure.

主权项

1. 1. A hybrid prosthetic heart valve having an inflow end and an outflow end, comprising:
a valve member including an undulating wireform with alternating cusps and commissures supporting a plurality of flexible leaflets configured to regulate one-way blood flow therethrough; and an expandable inflow stent frame having a radially-expandable inflow end and an outflow end that undulates with peaks and valleys corresponding to an inflow end of the wireform, wherein the stent frame outflow end defines an implant circumference that has a nominal diameter that enables physiological functioning of the valve member when implanted, and the stent frame outflow end includes integrated commissure posts located adjacent to and radially outward from the wireform commissures, the stent frame projecting in an inflow direction from an inflow end of the wireform, and further wherein the leaflets pass through the wireform commissures and attach to the commissure posts of the stent frame.