Collapsible and re-expandable prosthetic heart valve cuff designs and complementary technological applications

摘要

A prosthetic heart valve is provided with a cuff having features which promote sealing with the native tissues even where the native tissues are irregular. The cuff may include a portion adapted to bear on the LVOT when the valve is implanted in a native aortic valve. The valve may include elements for biasing the cuff outwardly with respect to the stent body when the stent body is in an expanded condition. The cuff may have portions of different thickness distributed around the circumference of the valve in a pattern matching the shape of the opening defined by the native tissue. All or part of the cuff may be movable relative to the stent during implantation.

主权项

1. A method of implanting a prosthetic heart valve within a native valve annulus of a patient, the prosthetic heart valve including a stent body having an inflow end and an outflow end, a valve element mounted within the stent body and operative to allow flow through the stent body in an antegrade direction from the inflow end towards the outflow end but to substantially block flow through the stent body in a retrograde direction, and a cuff connected to the stent body and including an inner wall adjacent the stent body and an outer wall disposed outwardly from the inner wall, the method comprising:
inserting the prosthetic heart valve in a collapsed condition percutaneously to the vicinity of the native valve annulus of the patient using a delivery device, and; positioning and deploying the prosthetic heart valve so that the prosthetic heart valve moves from the collapsed condition to an expanded condition and so that in the expanded condition the inner and outer walls define at least one pocket and the cuff defines at least one opening facing in the antegrade direction adjacent the inflow end, the outer wall of the cuff is disposed within the native valve annulus, and a flow of blood outside of the stent body in the retrograde direction can enter the at least one pocket through the at least one opening and bias the outer wall of the pocket outwardly into engagement with the native valve annulus.