Collapsible prosthetic heart valves

摘要

Prosthetic heart valves, which are collapsible to a relatively small circumferential size for less invasive delivery into a patient and which then re-expand to operating size at an implant site in the patient, include a collapsible/expandable stent-like supporting structure and various components of flexible, sheet-like material that are attached to the supporting structure. For example, these sheet-like other components may include prosthetic valve leaflets, layers of buffering material, cuff material, etc. Improved structures and techniques are provided for securing such other components to the stent-like supporting structure of the valve.

主权项

1. A prosthetic heart valve comprising:
an annularly collapsible and re-expandable supporting structure extending between an inflow end and an outflow end and including a plurality of struts, the inflow end having an inflow edge; a plurality of leaflets disposed inside the supporting structure and operative to allow flow in an antegrade direction from the inflow end to the outflow end but to substantially block flow in a retrograde direction from the outflow end to the inflow end; and a material disposed adjacent the inflow end of the supporting structure, the material extending from a luminal surface of the supporting structure, wrapping around the inflow edge and extending over a portion of the abluminal surface of the supporting structure so that the material includes a first portion disposed on the luminal surface of the supporting structure and a second portion disposed on the abluminal surface of the supporting structure, the first portion and the second portion being secured to selected struts of the supporting structure.