Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair implant with user-selectable stiffness

Abstract

A fixation device includes a primary unit having pair of distal elements and a pair of proximal elements, the pair of distal elements and the pair of proximal elements being configured to retain tissue, a secondary reinforcement coupled to the primary unit and transitionable between a first position spaced away from the primary unit and a second position nested about the primary unit, and a deployment shaft configured to actuate the secondary reinforcement between the first position and the second position. A method of treating a native valve includes providing a fixation device including a primary unit having a pair of distal elements and a pair of proximal elements configured to retain tissue, and a secondary reinforcement, and transitioning the secondary reinforcement from a first position to a second position to increase a stiffness of the fixation device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.