Composite curvature bileaflet prosthetic heart valve with serpentine curve hinge recesses

A heart valve prosthesis comprising:

• a generally annular valve base having an interior surface which defines a central passageway for blood flow in a downstream direction and a pair of leaflets mounted therein;
• and
• hinge means for supporting said pair of leaflets for substantially pivoting movements on eccentric axes between a closed position generally blocking blood flow through said central passageway and an open position allowing blood flow therethrough in said downstream direction;
• wherein each of said pair of valve leaflets has a first arcuate major edge which is configured to interface with the interior surface of said annular base in a blood flow sealing relationship therewith and a second, minor edge which is configured to interact with the said second minor edge of the other leaflet in a fluid flow sealing relationship therewith when in a closed position, each of said leaflets further having opposite and generally parallel inflow and outflow surfaces, wherein said inflow and outflow surfaces are curved to define generally cylindrical surfaces in regions of said leaflets adjacent said minor edges and said inflow and outflow surfaces are curved in along a second radius of curvature in the regions of said leaflets adjacent said major edges, said second radius of curvature being generally transverse to the curvature of said cylindrical surfaces and located downstream of said valve base when said leaflets are in their open position and oriented such that on each of said leaflets, said inflow and outflow surfaces in said regions adjacent said major edges are curved along said second radius of curvature outwardly away from the other of said leaflets.

A heart valve prosthesis comprising:

• a generally annular valve body having an interior surface defining a central passageway designed to be implanted to permit blood flow therethrough in a downstream direction and defining a valve leaflet seat;
• a pair of valve leaflets which are supported for substantially pivotal movement on eccentric axes between a closed position generally blocking blood flow through said central passageway and an open position allowing blood flow therethrough in said downstream direction,
• said leaflets and said valve body including projecting ears and recesses, respectively, which receive said ears, said projecting ears and said recesses having complementary surfaces which mount said leaflets in a manner to allow pivotal movement relative to sand annular valve body;
• said recesses being elongated so that there is sequential rotational and translational movement of said ears within said recesses as said leaflets pivot between the open position and the closed position, and being formed in said interior surface at generally diametrically opposite locations wherein said ears are received;
• each of said elongated recesses having a transverse dimension and extending for a longitudinal distance greater than its transverse dimension and having a modified serpentine curved guide wall extending toward one end of the elongated recess and a second guide wall extending toward the other end of said elongated recess, said guide walls oriented so that said ears move back and forth there along at the same time said ears move rotationally thereagainst, thereby defining a shifting pivot axis relative to said valve body as said leaflets pivot in each direction between the closed and open positions.

A heart valve prosthesis comprising:

• a generally annular base having an interior surface forming a central passageway therethrough of generally circular cross section for blood flow in a downstream direction;
• said base defining valve seat means;
• a pair of valve leaflets proportioned to block blood flow downstream through said passageway when said leaflets are disposed in a closed position;
• each of said leaflets having an arcuate major edge which abuts said valve body seat means and a minor edge which abuts the said minor edge of the other leaflet in said closed position;
• means for pivotally interconnecting each of said leaflets and said valve body for relative pivotal movement between the closed position and an open position wherein said arcuate major edges are situated in the blood flow downstream, which interconnecting means includes pairs of recesses formed in generally opposite locations in said interior wall and pairs of ears extending laterally from each of said leaflets;
• each recess in a said pair of recesses having a downstream section which is aligned substantially parallel to the centerline of said central passageway and an upstream section which connects at a point of connection to said downstream section and angles toward the other said recess in said pair of recesses from the point of connection of the sections and wherein said recess upstream sections each have a first curved shape defined by a first wall section and said recess downstream sections each have a shape defined by a second wall;
• and
• wherein said ears are configured with respect to said first and second curved shapes and wall such that, upon the beginning of backflow, said leaflet ears first rotate about said point of connection and then decelerate and translate as normal forces of upstream blood flow direct said leaflet ears against said point of connection and toward the end of said upstream section.