Implant, intended to be placed in a blood circulation passage, comprising a system for separating the proximal arms

A treatment device for a blood circulation passage, including an implant and a tool for releasing the implant, wherein the implant is designed to be placed in a blood circulation passage, and to be fastened on a tissue, and comprises:

• a proximal sleeve, generally tubular around a central axis, extending longitudinally between a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal sleeve being deployable between a contracted configuration and a deployed configuration,
• a plurality of proximal arms, each extending between a connected end connected to the distal end of the proximal sleeve, and a free end designed to bear on a first face of the tissue, each proximal arm extending in the direction of the central axis such that its free end is positioned beyond the distal end of the proximal sleeve,
• a distal sleeve, with a generally tubular shape around the central axis, deployable between a contracted configuration and a deployed configuration, designed to be assembled with the proximal sleeve to form a tubular armature together, that tubular armature defining an internal blood circulation conduit when the proximal sleeve and the distal sleeve are assembled and each in the deployed configuration,
• a plurality of distal arms, supported by the distal sleeve, and extending perpendicular to the central axis in the deployed configuration, designed to bear on a second face of the tissue, such that the tissue is then pinched between the proximal arms and the distal arms, wherein:
• at least one of the proximal arms is a deformable proximal arm, elastically deformable between a separating position and an anchoring position, such that, when there is no outside bias, the radial distance between its free end and its connected end is larger in the separated position rather than in the anchoring position, this proximal arm being elastically returned toward its anchoring position,
• the implant includes a first stop and a second stop for maintaining said at least one deformable proximal arm in its separating position, wherein:
• the first stop is supported by said deformable proximal arm, and
• the second stop is designed to cooperate with the first stop when the proximal sleeve is in the contracted configuration to keep that at least one deformable proximal arm in its separating position, and to release that first stop when the proximal sleeve is in the deployed configuration to allow the at least one deformable proximal arm to move toward its anchoring position,
• and wherein the proximal and distal sleeves are mounted in their respective contracted configurations in the release tool.

A method for installing an implant on the leaflets of a native valve, between an atrial cavity and a ventricular cavity of the heart, the leaflets having an atrial face and a ventricular face, the implant comprising:

• a proximal sleeve, generally tubular around a central axis, extending longitudinally between a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal sleeve being deployable between a contracted configuration and a deployed configuration,
• a plurality of proximal arms, each extending between a connected end connected to the distal end of the proximal sleeve, and a free end designed to bear on a first face of the tissue, each proximal arm extending in the direction of the central axis such that its free end is positioned beyond the distal end of the proximal sleeve,
• a distal sleeve, with a generally tubular shape around the central axis, deployable between a contracted configuration and a deployed configuration, designed to be assembled with the proximal sleeve to form a tubular armature together, that tubular armature defining an internal blood circulation conduit when the proximal sleeve and the distal sleeve are assembled and each in the deployed configuration,
• a plurality of distal arms, supported by the distal sleeve, and extending perpendicular to the central axis in the deployed configuration, designed to bear on a second face of the tissue, such that the tissue is then pinched between the proximal arms and the distal arms, wherein:
• at least one of the proximal arms is a deformable proximal arm, elastically deformable between a separating position and an anchoring position, such that, when there is no outside bias, the radial distance between its free end and its connected end is larger in the separated position rather than in the anchoring position, this proximal arm being elastically returned toward its anchoring position,
• the implant includes a first stop and a second stop for maintaining said at least one deformable proximal arm in its separating position, wherein:
• the first stop is supported by said deformable proximal arm, and
• the second stop is designed to cooperate with the first stop when the proximal sleeve is in the contracted configuration to keep that at least one deformable proximal arm in its separating position, and to release that first stop when the proximal sleeve is in the deployed configuration to allow the at least one deformable proximal arm to move toward its anchoring position,
• and the method including:
• positioning the distal arms in the atrial cavity,
• deploying said distal arms in the atrial cavity,
• pressing the distal arms against the atrial face of the leaflets,
• moving the proximal sleeve toward the leaflets, with the proximal arms deployed so as to define a receiving space for the leaflets, in order to insert the leaflets into the receiving space, and pressing the proximal arms against the ventricular face of the leaflets by applying an axial force toward those leaflets,
• deploying the distal sleeve and the proximal sleeve, and assembling the distal sleeve with the proximal sleeve so as to form a tubular armature of the implant.