Prosthetic Heart Valve Configured to Receive a Percutaneous Prosthetic Heart Valve Implantation
AssigneeEdwards Lifesciences Corporation
InventorMark Konno
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Abstract
The invention is a prosthetic heart valve, and associated methods therefore, configured to replace a native heart valve, and having a support frame configured to be reshaped into an expanded form in order to receive and/or support an expandable prosthetic heart valve therein. The prosthetic heart valve may be configured to have a generally rigid and/or expansion-resistant configuration when initially implanted to replace a native valve (or other prosthetic heart valve), but to assume a generally non-rigid and/or expanded/expandable form when subjected to an outward force such as that provided by a dilation balloon.
Claims19
A prosthetic heart valve comprising:
- a generally rigid structure having a circumference and configured to become non-rigid when subjected to a dilation force;
- and
- a valve portion.
A prosthetic heart valve comprising:
- a generally rigid structure having a circumference and configured to become non-rigid and expand when subjected to a dilation force;
- and
- a valve portion;
- wherein the prosthetic heart valve comprises a valve orifice having a valve orifice area, and the prosthetic heart valve is configured for the valve orifice area to be enlarged when the prosthetic heart valve is subjected to a dilation force.
A method of repairing a patient's heart function, comprising:
- providing a first prosthetic heart valve having a generally rigid configuration, wherein the first prosthetic heart valve is configured to assume a generally non-rigid configuration when subjected to a dilation force;
- and
- implanting the first prosthetic heart valve in a heart valve annulus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.