Prosthetic heart valve having improved commissure supports

An assembly comprising:

• a delivery catheter comprising a handle, a shaft extending from the handle, and an inflatable balloon coupled to the shaft, wherein the shaft comprises a conduit for conducting inflation fluid to and from the balloon;
• and
• a transcatheter valve prosthesis that is radially collapsible to a collapsed configuration for delivery into a patient on the delivery catheter, and radially expandable to an expanded configuration using the balloon;
• wherein the prosthesis comprises an annular frame and a valve structure positioned within the frame and comprising commissures attached to the frame, the valve structure being configured to substantially block blood flow in one direction to regulate blood flow through a central lumen of the frame;
• wherein the frame comprises an inflow portion proximate to an inflow end of the frame and an outflow portion proximate to an outflow end of the frame;
• wherein the inflow portion of the frame comprises:
• a plurality of inflow end crowns and a plurality of inflow end angled struts with each inflow end crown being formed between a pair of the inflow end angled struts;
• and
• a plurality of intermediate crowns and a plurality of intermediate angled struts opposite from the inflow end crowns and inflow end angled struts, with each intermediate crown being formed between a pair of the intermediate angled struts;
• and
• wherein the outflow portion of the frame comprises:
• a plurality of outflow end crowns and a plurality of outflow end angled struts with each outflow end crown being formed between a pair of the outflow end angled struts, wherein a total of the inflow end crowns is greater than a total of the outflow end crowns;
• and
• a plurality of axial frame members, wherein at least some of the plurality of axial frame members are commissure attachment members that are attached to the commissures of the valve structure, wherein each of the commissure attachment members has a first end connected to one of the intermediate crowns of the inflow portion and a cantilevered second end, and wherein each commissure attachment member is joined to a pair of the outflow end angled struts at an intermediate portion of the commissure attachment member between the first end and the second end.

A frame for a transcatheter valve prosthesis, the frame comprising:

• an annular body comprising a plurality of interconnected struts defining open cells between the interconnected struts;
• the frame having an open inflow end and an open outflow end and defining an axial direction between the inflow and outflow ends and a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction;
• the frame having a radially compressed configuration and a radially expanded configuration and being plastically deformable therebetween;
• wherein the frame comprises an inflow portion proximate to an inflow end and an outflow portion proximate to an outflow end;
• wherein the inflow portion comprises:
• a plurality of inflow end crowns and a plurality of inflow end angled struts with each inflow end crown being formed between a pair of the inflow end angled struts;
• and
• a plurality of intermediate crowns and a plurality of intermediate angled struts opposite from the inflow end crowns and inflow end angled struts, with each intermediate crown being formed between a pair of the intermediate angled struts;
• and
• wherein the outflow end comprises:
• a plurality of outflow end crowns and a plurality of outflow end angled struts with each outflow end crown being formed between a pair of the outflow end angled struts, wherein a total of the inflow end crowns is greater than a total of the outflow end crowns;
• and
• a plurality of axial frame members, wherein at least some of the plurality of axial frame members are commissure attachment members configured to be attached to commissures of a valve structure within the frame, wherein each of the commissure attachment members has a first end connected to one of the intermediate crowns of the inflow portion and a cantilevered second end, and wherein each commissure attachment member is joined to a pair of the outflow end angled struts at an intermediate portion of the commissure attachment member between the first end and the second end.