Natural tissue heart valve fixation apparatus and method

摘要

An apparatus and a method for fixing a heart valve is disclosed that produces a differential pressure across the outflow section of the heart valve to the exterior of the valve that may be made relatively large while the differential pressure across the valve leaflets is small or zero. The invention comprises attaching the outflow section of a heart valve to a source of pressurized fluid; placing a small tube through the leaflets and plugging the inflow section. The tube is preferably attached to a cannula plug that plugs the inflow section of the valve. The tube has a fluid inlet near the connection point of the tube to the cannula plug to allow fluid around the connection point to enter the tube. The tube opens at its opposite end to form a fluid channel from a point near the connection of the cannula plug to the tube through the opposite end of the tube. The tube allows fluid in the outflow section to move across the leaflets to the inflow section. Fluid that enters the inflow section will be at the same fluid pressure as the fluid that is in the outflow section.