Prosthetic Cardiac Valve from Pericardium Material and Methods of Making Same

摘要

A prosthetic stented heart valve which includes a compressible and expandable stent structure having first and second opposite ends, an expanded outer periphery, and a compressed outer periphery that is at least slightly smaller than the expanded outer periphery when subjected to an external radial force. The valve further includes a valve segment comprising a dual-layer sheet formed into a generally tubular shape having at least one longitudinally extending seam, and a plurality of leaflets formed by attachment of an outer layer of the dual-layer sheet to an inner layer of the dual-layer sheet in a leaflet defining pattern. The valve segment is at least partially positioned within the stent structure. The valve may further include at least one opening in the outer layer of the dual-layer sheet that is spaced from both the first and second ends of the stent structure.