Methods for rotating a prosthetic heart valve within a sewing ring

A method of implanting and adjusting a heart valve within a human annulus comprising:

• preparing the annulus for implantation of a heart valve;
• providing a heart valve having an outer sewing ring and an inner rotor rotatably received within the sewing ring and including an inner wall having a plurality of discrete, inwardly facing driven surfaces;
• locating the heart valve proximate the annulus;
• suturing the sewing ring to the annulus;
• providing a valve rotator including a proximal handle and a distal body, the body having a plurality of discrete, outwardly facing drive surfaces on a distal end, the number of drive surfaces being greater than the number of driven surfaces formed on the rotor;
• positioning the distal end of the valve rotator proximate of the valve rotor;
• rotating the rotator and axially advancing it to engage at least one of the drive surfaces with at least one of the driven surfaces;
• wherein at least one drive surface remains disengaged;
• and
• rotating the rotor within the sewing ring.

A method of implanting and adjusting a heart valve in an orifice of human heart, comprising:

• providing a heart valve having an outer sewing ring and an inner rotor with an inner surface having a plurality of discrete, inwardly facing driven surfaces, the rotor being rotatable with respect to the sewing ring and having a pair of leaflets pivotally mounted within the inner surface;
• positioning the heart valve adjacent the orifice;
• suturing the sewing ring to the orifice;
• providing a valve rotator having a proximal handle attached to a distal body, the body terminating in an annular peripheral surface defining a central axis and a plurality of discrete drive surfaces adapted to engage the driven surfaces on the rotor and couple rotation of the rotator and rotor;
• positioning the rotator distal body adjacent the heart valve rotor in a first orientation with the central axis aligned with the rotor axis of rotation;
• rotating the rotator from the first orientation less than 60.degree. about the central axis in either direction and axially advancing the rotator to engage the drive surfaces and the driven surfaces, the drive surfaces and driven surfaces being respectively configured to cooperate and preclude the need to rotate the rotator by 60.degree. or more in either or both directions before the rotator can be axially advanced;
• and
• rotating the rotor within the sewing ring.

A method of implanting and adjusting a heart valve in an orifice of a human heart, comprising:

• providing a heart valve having an outer sewing ring and an inner rotor with an inner surface having a single pair of diametrically opposed driven flats formed thereon, the rotor being rotatable with respect to the sewing ring and having a pair of leaflets pivotally mounted within the inner surface;
• positioning the heart valve adjacent the orifice;
• suturing the sewing ring to the orifice;
• providing a valve rotator having a proximal handle attached to a distal body, the body terminating in an annular peripheral surface defining a central axis and at least three pairs of diametrically opposed discrete, outwardly facing drive flats interrupting the annular peripheral surface adapted to engage the driven flats on the rotor and couple rotation of the rotator and rotor;
• positioning the rotator distal body adjacent the heart valve rotor in a first orientation with the central axis aligned with the rotor axis of rotation;
• rotating the rotator from the first orientation less than 90.degree. about the central axis in either direction and axially advancing the rotator to engage the drive flats and the driven flats;
• and
• rotating the rotor within the sewing ring.

A method of implanting and adjusting a heart valve in an orifice of a human heart, comprising:

• providing a heart valve having an outer sewing ring and an inner rotor with an inner surface having a single pair of diametrically opposed driven surfaces, the rotor being rotatable with respect to the sewing ring and having a pair of leaflets pivotally mounted within the inner surface;
• position the heart valve adjacent the orifice;
• suturing the sewing ring to the orifice;
• providing a valve rotator having a proximal handle attached to a distal body, the body terminating in an annular peripheral surface defining a central axis and a plurality of pairs of diametrically opposed discrete, outwardly facing drive surfaces adapted to engage the driven surfaces on the rotor and couple rotation of the rotator and rotor;
• positioning the rotator distal body adjacent the heart valve motor in a first orientation with the central axis aligned with the rotor axis of rotation;
• rotating the rotator from the first orientation less than 90.degree. about the central axis in either direction and axially advancing the rotator to engage the drive surfaces and the driven surfaces;
• and
• rotating the rotor within the sewing ring.

A method of implanting and adjusting a heart valve in an orifice of a human heart, comprising:

• providing a heart valve having an outer sewing ring and an inner rotor with an inner surface having a single pair of diametrically opposed discrete, inwardly facing driven surfaces, the rotor being rotatable with respect to the sewing ring and having a pair of leaflets pivotally mounted within the inner surface;
• positioning the heart valve adjacent the orifice;
• suturing the sewing ring to the orifice;
• providing a valve rotator having a proximal handle attached to a distal body, the body terminating in an annular peripheral surface defining a central axis and more than one pair of diametrically opposed discrete, outwardly facing drive surfaces adapted to engage the driven surfaces on the rotor and couple rotation of the rotator and rotor;
• positioning the rotator distal body adjacent the heart valve rotor in a first orientation with the central axis aligned with the rotor axis of rotation;
• rotating the rotator from the first orientation less than 60.degree. about the central axis in either direction and axially advancing the rotator to engage the drive surfaces and the driven surfaces;
• and
• rotating the rotor within the sewing ring.