System and method for resecting a valve

An apparatus for resecting a target cardiac valve in a patient, comprising:

• a collapsible distal chamber having a proximally-facing opening;
• a first annular cutter on the proximally-facing opening;
• a collapsible proximal chamber having a distally-facing opening;
• a second annular cutter on the distally-facing opening, wherein the first and second annular cutters are adapted to communicate to cut tissue of the target cardiac valve;
• an elongate drive shaft extending distally to proximally through the distal chamber and the proximal chamber, wherein the elongate drive shaft is configured to reduce a proximal-to-distal separation between the distal chamber and the proximal chamber;
• and
• a tissue engagement region comprising a plurality of teeth coupled to the drive shaft between the distal chamber and the proximal chamber and configured to dynamically engage and retain the target cardiac valve tissue within either or both the distal chamber and the proximal chambers;
• wherein the distal and proximal chambers are configured to be collapsed around the drive shaft in a delivery configuration and further configured to expand for positioning on either side of the target cardiac valve.

A method for minimally invasively resecting a cardiac valve, the method comprising:

• positioning a catheter adjacent a target cardiac valve;
• extending a distal chamber of an apparatus for resecting a target cardiac valve from the distal end of the catheter so that the distal chamber expands on a distal side of the cardiac valve and a proximally-facing opening of the distal chamber faces the cardiac valve;
• extending a proximal chamber of the apparatus for resecting a target cardiac from the catheter so that the proximal chamber expands on a proximal side of the cardiac valve and a distally-facing opening of the proximal chamber faces the cardiac valve;
• actuating a drive shaft of the apparatus to shorten the distance between the proximal and distal chambers;
• engaging the valve tissue with a tissue engagement region on the drive shaft, wherein the tissue engagement region comprises a plurality of teeth;
• cutting the valve tissue between a first annular cutter on the proximally-facing opening and a second annular cutter on the distally-facing opening to resect the valve tissue;
• capturing the resected valve tissue in at least one of the proximal and distal chambers;
• and
• withdrawing the delivery catheter and resected valve tissue from the vascular system of the patient.