DELIVERY SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF IMPLANTATION FOR PROSTHETIC HEART VALVES

摘要

A delivery system for delivering a stented prosthetic heart valve to a lumen of a patient, the delivery system including a tubular body having a proximal end and a distal end, and a plurality of wires (62) extending from the distal end of the tubular body, wherein each of the wires has a distal end that is coiled for engagement with a stent of a stented prosthetic heart valve. A method of deploying an implantable stented device using such a delivery system is also provided, which includes the steps of providing an implantable stented device comprising at least one stent engagement component (70), engaging a coiled distal end of at least one of the plurality of wires (62) with one of the stent engagement components, positioning the implantable stented device at an implantation location, and axially moving at least one of the plurality of wires relative to the tubular body to disengage the coiled distal end of the wire from the stent engagement component with which it is engaged.