Suture guard for prosthetic heart valve

摘要

An artificial heart valve prosthesis for use in a heart includes an orifice defining a lumen therethrough for blood flow. An occluder is carried in the orifice and is movable between an open position which allows blood flow through the lumen and a closed position in which flow through the lumen is blocked. A suture cuff coupled to the orifice extends around an outer circumference of the orifice and is used for attaching the heart valve to a heart tissue annulus using sutures. The sutures are knotted proximate the suture cuff to secure the cuff to the annulus. A suture guard is coupled to the suture cuff and is movable between an open position in which the suture knot is exposed and a closed position in which the suture, suture knot and suture cuff are covered.