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US 2014/0194669 A1Published application
Supporting a heart
OwnerStephen Manuel Wildhirt, Andreas Maierinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heart support featuring a sheath sized to fit about at least a portion of an adult human heart in a living body and an expandable chamber disposed within the sheath so as to apply pressure against the heart when expanded. The expandable chamber is at least partially defined by a foldable chamber wall that folds with the chamber in a collapsed state, and unfolds as the chamber expands.
Claims20
A heart support comprising
- a sheath sized to fit about at least a portion of an adult human heart in a living body;
- and
- an expandable chamber disposed within the sheath so as to apply pressure against the heart when expanded,
- wherein the expandable chamber is at least partially defined by a foldable chamber wall that folds with the chamber in a collapsed state, and unfolds as the chamber expands.
1 more element
A method of supporting a heart, the method comprising:
- inserting a sheath into a living body;
- positioning the sheath about at least a portion of a heart within the body, with an expandable chamber disposed between the sheath and the heart, the expandable chamber at least partially defined by a foldable chamber wall that folds with the chamber in a collapsed state, and unfolds as the chamber expands;
- and then
- expanding the chamber to apply pressure to the heart.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.