Method for inhibiting damage of leaflets when reducing a profile of a vascular prosthesis
AssigneeMiRus LLC
InventorsKen Holloway, Alex Panter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Crimper systems, devices, and methods for reducing the crimped profile of a medical such as, but not limited to, a prosthetic valve, and facilitate in the desired crimping of the leaflets of a prosthetic valve during the crimping of the frame of the prosthetic valve, while reducing the risk of damage to the leaflets and other components of the prosthetic valve during the crimping process.
Claims30
A method for reducing the outer diameter or cross-sectional area of a crimped prosthetic valve comprising:
- providing a prosthetic valve;
- said prosthetic valve includes a frame, a leaflet structure supported by the frame;
- said frame is in a non-fully crimped orientation;
- said frame includes a plurality of frame openings;
- providing a diameter reducing device that is configured to reduce an outer diameter or cross-sectional area of said frame of said prosthetic valve;
- providing a leaflet protector that is configured to inhibit or prevent damage to said leaflet structure during crimping said frame of said prosthetic valve;
- said leaflet protector includes a layer of a flexible first polymer tape;
- wrapping said layer of said first polymer tape at least one time about an outer surface of at least a portion of said frame;
- at least partially inserting said prosthetic valve in said diameter reducing device;
- reducing an outer diameter or cross-sectional area of said frame of said prosthetic valve by use of said diameter reducing device;
- and
- removing said leaflet protector from said frame after said step of reducing said outer diameter or cross-sectional area of said prosthetic valve;
- and
- wherein said leaflet protector inhibits or prevents said leaflet structure from moving into one or more of said plurality of openings in said frame as said outer diameter or cross-sectional area of said frame of said prosthetic valve is reduced;
- and
- wherein said step of reducing causes at least a portion of said leaflet protector to enter into and/or pass through one or more of said plurality of openings in said frame.
A prosthetic valve system configured to cause an outer diameter or cross-sectional area of a prosthetic valve to be reduced while limiting damage to one or more components of said prosthetic valve;
- said prosthetic valve system comprising:
- said prosthetic valve;
- said prosthetic valve includes a frame, and a leaflet structure supported by the frame;
- and
- a leaflet protector that is configured to inhibit or prevent damage to said leaflet structure during crimping said frame of said prosthetic valve;
- said leaflet protector includes a flexible layer of first polymer tape;
- said layer of said first polymer tape is wrapped at least once about an outer surface of at least a portion of said frame prior to fully reducing said outer diameter or cross-sectional area of said frame of said prosthetic valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.