HEART VALVE REPAIR SYSTEM

摘要

Techniques are described for use with one or more sutures. For some applications, techniques are described for fixedly-coupling two or more sutures to each other. For some applications, such techniques are used for treating a heart valve of a subject. Techniques are also described for treating a heart valve of a subject by coupling leaflets of the heart valve to a support using tissue-piercing elements. Other embodiments are also described.

主权项

1. Apparatus for use with a heart valve of a patient, the heart valve including at least two leaflets, the apparatus comprising:
a support, having a leaflet-engaging side, configured to be placed against a first side of the heart valve in a position in which the support overlaps more than one of the leaflets; and a securing element, which comprises:
a core;two or more arms, an inner end of each arm being coupled to the core, and the arms extending radially outward from the core; anda plurality of leaflet-piercing elements, coupled to respective outer ends of each arm, and deliverable to a second side of the heart valve of the patient, and configured to couple the support to the heart valve by (1) piercing the leaflets of the heart valve from the second side of the heart valve to the first side of the heart valve, and (2) coupling to the support while the support is in the position on the first side of the heart valve, wherein one of the first and the second sides of the heart valve is an upstream side of the heart valve, and the other of the first and the second sides of the heart valve is a downstream side of the heart valve.