Leaflet attachment in prosthetic heart valves using buckle commissure clamps

Abstract

A buckle commissure clamp can be used to attach leaflets of a valvular structure to a frame of a prosthetic heart valve. Tabs of adjacent leaflets can be assembled to the buckle commissure clamp by passing each leaflet through one or more gaps of the buckle commissure clamp. Each leaflet tab can be wrapped around portions of the buckle commissure clamp. Once the leaflet tabs are assembled to the buckle commissure clamp, the assembly can be attached to the frame, for example, by one or more sutures extending between the buckle commissure clamp and a support member, such as a strut of the frame, an actuator of the frame, a locking mechanism of the frame. In some embodiments, the buckle commissure clamp has a substantially W-shape or M-shape.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.