Cardiac reinforcement device
AssigneeAcorn Cardiovascular, Inc.
InventorClifton A. Alferness
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to a cardiac reinforcement device (CRD) and method for the treatment of cardiomyopathy. The CRD provides for reinforcement of the walls of the heart by constraining cardiac expansion, beyond a predetermined limit, during diastolic expansion of the heart. A CRD of the invention can be applied to the epicardium of the heart to locally constrain expansion of the cardiac wall or to circumferentially constrain the cardiac wall during cardiac expansion.
Claims22
A method for treating valvular conditions of a patient's;
- heart, said method comprising:
- (a) selecting a cardiac reinforcement device, said cardiac reinforcement device comprising:
- (i) a synthetic biomedical material which can be applied to an epicardial surface of the heart;
- (ii) said synthetic biomedical material comprising a continuous mesh construction, said continuous mesh construction defining a plurality of open cells;
- (iii) said synthetic biomedical material formed into a jacket to surround said heart with said jacket having an internal volume to receive said heart;
- (b) applying said cardiac reinforcement device to said surface of said heart under a parietal layer of a pericardium of said heart;
- and
- (c) securing said cardiac reinforcement device to said surface of said heart.
A method for treating cardiac disease, said method comprising:
- (a) selecting a cardiac reinforcement device, said cardiac reinforcement device comprising:
- (i) a substantially non-elastic biomedical material than can be applied to an epicardial surface of the heart;
- (ii) the cardiac reinforcement device having opposite connected sides;
- (b) applying said cardiac reinforcement device to said surface of the heart by applying said device to opposite sides of the heart;
- (i) the opposite connected sides of the cardiac reinforcement device overlying the opposite sides of the heart;
- and
- (c) securing said cardiac reinforcement device to said surface of the heart with said cardiac reinforcement device opposite connected sides urged together by a spacing less than an unconstrained diastofic expansion of said opposite sides of the heart.
A method for reducing diastolic volume of a patient's heart, said method comprising:
- (a) selecting a cardiac reinforcement device, said cardiac reinforcement device comprising:
- (i) a substantially non-elastic biomedical material which can be applied to an epicardial surface of said heart;
- (ii) said biomedical material comprising a plurality of open cells, each open cell defined by multiple sides, each open cell sharing at least one of said multiple sides with an adjacent open cell;
- (b) applying said cardiac reinforcement device to said surface of said heart by applying said biomedical material to diametrically opposite sides of said heart;
- and
- (c) securing said cardiac reinforcement device to said epicardial surface of said heart.
A method for minimally invasive treatment of cardiac disease of a patient's heart, said method comprising:
- (a) making a first and second minimally invasive incision into said patient's thorax;
- (b) passing a thorascope into said first incision for intra-thoracic visualization;
- (c) passing a cannula into said second incision to a position for applying a cardiac reinforcement device to said patient's heart, wherein said cardiac reinforcement device comprises:
- (i) a biomedicaf material which can be applied to an epicardial surface of said heart;
- (d) applying said cardiac reinforcement device to said epicardial surface of said patient's heart;
- (e) removing said thorascope from said patient's thorax;
- and
- (f) closing said first and said second incisions in said patient's thorax.
A method for treating cardiac disease, said method comprising:
- (a) selecting a cardiac reinforcement device, said cardiac reinforcement device comprising:
- (i) a substantially non-elastic biomedical material which can be applied to an epicardial surface of said heart;
- (ii) said substantially non-elastic biomedical material comprising a plurality of continuous strands of said biomedical material, said strands defining a plurality of open cells;
- (iii) said cardiac support device having opposite connected sides;
- (b) applying said cardiac reinforcement device to said surface of said heart by applying said device to diametrically opposite sides of said heart and with opposite sides of said biomedical material overlying said opposite sides of said heart;
- and
- (c) securing said cardiac reinforcement device to said surface of said heart with said cardiac reinforcement device opposite connected sides urged together by a spacing less than an unconstrained diastolic expansion of said opposite sides of the heart.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.