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US 4,451,937 AGranted
Heart valve having ear guided occluders
AssigneeHemex, Inc.
InventorJerome J. Klawitter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Heart valve prostheses have annular valve bodies with central passageways and valve members supported for pivotal and translational movement between open and closed positions. The occluders, which may be either of a bileaflet or single occluder design, are supported within the bodies by pairs of ears extending from opposite locations to interengage with corresponding arcuate depressions to guide the occluders between their closed positions where they seat against upstream protuberances of the valve bodies and their open position where they are positioned between the upstream protuberances and downstream protuberances.
Claims24
A heart valve prosthesis for allowing normal blood flow therethrough from upstream to downstream including:
- a generally annular valve body having an interior wall which defines a central passageway for blood flow therethrough,
- occluder means for blocking the reverse flow of blood through said passageway,
- ears extending from opposite locations on the periphery of said occluder means,
- complementary depressions formed in said interior wall of said valve body which are proportioned to receive said ears and to guide said ears along a curving path as said occluder means moves between closed and open positions,
- stop means in said annular valve body against which the upstream face of said occluder means abuts in the closed position,
- first and second bump means protruding from said interior wall and being associated with each of said depressions, said first bump means being located downstream of said occluder means and said second bump means being located upstream of said occluder means in said closed position, said first bump means being in contact with the downstream face of said occluder means during moving to said open position and determining the orientation of said occluder means in the fully open position, and
- the shape of said depressions being such to, in cooperation with said bump means, guide said occluder means in both pivotal and translational movement between said closed and open positions, whereby said downstream face of said occluder means slides against said first bump means during opening of said occluder means.
4 more elements
A heart valve prosthesis for allowing blood flow therethrough in a specific direction including
- a generally annular valve body having an interior surface defining a central passageway for blood flow therethrough,
- a single occluder having a concave downstream face and a convex upstream face, the depth of the concave face being between about 15 and 30 percent of the passageway diameter,
- a pair of ears formed on opposite generally central locations on the periphery of said occluder, said ears defining a pivot axis that is eccentric and that divides said occluder into a greater portion and a lesser portion,
- a pair of complementary depressions in said interior surface which are proportioned to interfit with said ears for guiding said occluder in pivoting action between an open position where said greater portion of said occluder extends downstream from said eccentric axis and a closed position, said occluder in said open position dividing said passageway into a major passageway portion and a minor passageway portion, the concave-convex configuration of said occluder tending to equalize the areas of said passageway portions, the shape of said depressions being such to guide said occluder along a curving path during shifting between said open and closed positions that creates both pivotal and translational movement,
- first means formed in said annular valve body for engaging said upstream face of said occluder and providing a stop in the closed position, and
- second means in said annular valve body for engaging said downstream face of said occluder and providing a stop in the open position.
3 more elements
A heart valve prosthesis for allowing blood flow therethrough in a specific direction including
- a generally annular valve body having an interior surface defining a central passageway for blood flow therethrough,
- a single occluder that includes a sector of a hollow right elliptical cylinder, having a concave downstream face, a convex upstream face and a generally straight centerline, the depth of the concave surface being between about 15 and about 30 percent of the passageway diameter, the length of a major elliptical axis being between about 120 and about 200 percent of the diameter of said passageway and the length of the minor elliptical axis being between about 50 and about 170 percent of the length of the diameter of said passageway,
- a pair of ears formed on opposite locations in the periphery of said occluder,
- a pair of complementary depressions in said interior surface which depressions are proportioned to receive said ears for guiding said occluder in pivoting action between open and closed positions, the shape of said depressions being such to guide said occluder along a curving path during shifting between said open and closed positions that creates both pivotal and translational movement,
- first means formed in said annular valve body for engaging said upstream face of said occluder and providing a stop in the closed position, and
- second means in said annular valve body for engaging said downstream face of said occluder and providing a stop in the open position.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.