Collapsible/expandable prosthetic heart valves with non-expanding stent posts and retrieval features

摘要

A frame structure for a collapsible and re-expandable prosthetic heart valve. The frame structure includes an annular annulus portion that is configured for implanting in or near a patient's native heart valve annulus. This annulus portion of the frame structure may include a plurality of annularly spaced commissure post structures interconnected by connecting structures. The commissure post structures may be more resistant to annular collapse than the connecting structures. In the case of a prosthetic aortic valve, the frame structure may also include an annular aortic portion. The aortic portion may include a plurality of attachment points (for tethers) closest to the annulus portion. Such attachment points and tethers can facilitate re-collapse of a partly deployed valve in the event of a need to reposition or remove the valve.

主权项

1. A frame structure for a prosthetic aortic heart valve, comprising:
an annulus portion that is annular about a longitudinal axis and that is annularly collapsible and re-expandable, the annulus portion including a plurality of annularly spaced commissure post structures extending in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis, and a plurality of open-centered, closed perimeter first cells annularly positioned between the commissure post structures; an aortic portion that is annular about the longitudinal axis and annularly collapsible and re-expandable, the aortic portion being spaced from the annulus portion in the first direction; a plurality of strut members each having one end connected to the annulus portion and another end connected to a point on the aortic portion, for each of the points the aortic portion including a pair of arm members that begin at the point and diverge from one another in the first direction until each of the arm members connects to an arm member that started from an annularly adjacent one of the points, the aortic portion including no other structure between annularly adjacent ones of the arm members that connect to one another and that start from different ones of the points; and an open-centered, closed perimeter second cell below each of the commissure post structures, the second cells being more resistant to collapse than the first cells.