System for loading a collapsible heart valve

摘要

An assembly for collapsing a self-expanding prosthetic heart valve includes a compression member, a support member, a constricting member, and a spacer which may be used for smaller sized heart valves. The compression member has a tapered wall between its first open end and its second open end, the tapered wall defining an open space adapted to receive the heart valve. The support member has a base and a recess adapted to receive an end of the heart valve. The support member and the compression member are movable toward one another to compress the heart valve and push it through a relatively small aperture in the second open end of the compression member. The second end of the constricting member is sized to receive the compressed heart valve from the second open end of the compression member for loading into a delivery device.

主权项

1. An assembly for loading a self-expanding prosthetic heart valve into a delivery device, comprising:
a compression member having a first open end with a first diameter, a second open end with a second diameter less than the first diameter, and a tapered wall decreasing in diameter from the first open end to the second open end, the tapered wall defining an open space adapted to receive the heart valve; a support member having a base on a first end and a recess on a second end, the recess having a fixed depth between a support surface of the recess and an open end of the recess, the recess being adapted to receive an end of the heart valve, the support member and the compression member being movable relative to one another between an initial position in which the base of the support member is relatively far from the first open end of the compression member and an operative position in which the base of the support member is relatively close to the first open end of the compression member, wherein movement of the support member and the compression member from the initial position to the operative position pushes the heart valve through the open space such that the heart valve is radially compressed by the tapered wall of the compression member as the heart valve advances through the open space; a constricting member having a first end and a second end, the second end of the constricting member being sized to receive the compressed heart valve from the second open end of the compression member; and a spacer adapted for assembly in the recess so that the recess has a depth between a support surface of the spacer and the open end of the recess which is less than the fixed depth.