Prosthetic heart valve

A bi-leaflet prosthetic heart valve comprising:

• an annular valve body having an upstream end, a downstream end and a central passageway therethrough for blood flow, which passageway has an axial centerline,
• two leaflets mounted in said valve body, each having an inflow surface and an outflow surface,
• pivot means formed on said leaflets and said valve body which define paths of movement of said leaflets on eccentric pivot axes between an open position which allows blood flow through said central passageway and a closed position which blocks blood flow therethrough, said paths of movement being such that downstream edges of said leaflets move outward away from said axial centerline to reach the closed position in which said outflow surfaces face generally downstream,
• said valve body having a generally cylindrical interior sidewall of generally circular cross section which is interrupted with a pair of diametrically opposed flat sidewall sections wherein said pivot means are located,
• said valve body being contoured in an axial direction along both axial ends, with a pair of diametrically opposed upstream extensions which are aligned with said flat wall sections and which extensions extend a substantial distance upstream beyond said valve body's remaining upstream periphery, and with a pair of open notches in said valve body's downstream end located in generally axial alignment with said flat sidewall sections, which open notches extend laterally through said sidewall to provide a pair of side openings that extend a substantial distance upstream from said valve body's remaining downstream edge, said side openings being laterally aligned with a central passageway region located between said two leaflets in the open position so that, upon reversal of blood flow, backflowing blood laterally enters said valve body passageway through said side openings and results in a surge of blood flow into said central passageway region between said two leaflets, the forces exerted by such blood flow in said central passageway region impinging upon said leaflet outflow surfaces and resulting in prompt pivoting of said eccentrically mounted leaflets toward their closed position orientations.

A bi-leaflet prosthetic heart valve comprising

• an annular valve body having an upstream end, a downstream end and a central passageway therethrough for blood flow, which passageway has an axial centerline,
• two leaflets mounted in valve body, each having an inflow surface and an outflow surface, and
• pivot means formed on said leaflets and said valve body which define paths of movement of said leaflets on eccentric pivot axes between an open position which allows blood flow through said central passageway and a closed position which blocks blood flow therethrough, said paths of movement being such that downstream edges of said leaflets move outward away from said axial centerline to reach the closed position in which said outflow surfaces face generally downstream,
• said valve body having a generally cylindrical interior sidewall of generally circular cross section which is interrupted with a pair of diametrically opposed flat sidewall sections wherein said pivot means are located, and
• said valve body being contoured in an axial direction along both axial ends, having a pair of diametrically opposed upstream extensions which are aligned with said flat wall sections and which extensions extend a substantial distance upstream beyond said valve body's remaining upstream periphery, and having said valve body's downstream end similarly contoured in axial alignment with said upstream extensions to provide a pair of side openings and create a valve body having an axial length which is substantially constant about the periphery thereof, said side openings being laterally aligned with a central passageway region located between said two leaflets in the open position so that, upon reversal of blood flow, backflowing blood laterally enters said valve body passageway through said side openings and results in a surge of blood flow into said central passageway region between said two leaflets, the forces exerted by such blood flow in said central passageway region impinging upon said leaflet outflow surfaces and resulting in prompt pivoting of said eccentrically mounted leaflets toward their closed position orientations.