Annuloplasty device
OwnerOlli Keranen, Hans-Reinhard Zerkowski +1inventors
InventorsOlli Keranen, Hans-Reinhard Zerkowski, Johannes Jung
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Abstract
A method of repairing a defective heart valve involves positioning first and second support rings of an annuloplasty device in a first configuration on opposite sides of native heart valve leaflets and activating a contracted state of the annuloplasty device so that a first pitch distance between the first and second support rings in the first configuration is reduced to a second pitch distance that is shorter than the first pitch distance to move the first and second support rings toward each other to pinch the native heart valve leaflets.
Claims6
A method of repairing a defective heart valve, said method comprising:
- positioning a first support ring and second support ring of an annuloplasty device in a first configuration as a coil on opposite sides of native heart valve leaflets of the heart valve, wherein the first and/or second support rings comprises a shape-memory material and has a first pitch distance between the first and second support rings in the first configuration and a second pitch distance being shorter than the first pitch distance in a contracted state;
- maintaining a separation between the first and second support rings at the first pitch distance with a removable restraining unit engaged with, and extending along, the first and second support rings, when positioning the coil on the opposite sides of the native heart valve leaflets, whereby the restraining unit forces the first and second support rings apart;
- and
- removing the restraining unit so that the first and second support rings transfer from the first configuration to the contracted state corresponding to a relaxed heat set shape, said contracted state having a reduced gap between the first and second support rings, to pinch the native heart valve leaflets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.