Collapsible cardiac implant and deployment system and methods
AssigneeEdwards Lifesciences Corporation
InventorsTeodoro S. Jimenez, Mark Dehdashtian, Raffaele Mazzei
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Abstract
A collapsible device, such as an annuloplasty ring or prosthetic heart valve, is configured to be collapsed prior to being introduced into a patient via minimally-invasive access points such as port holes or intercostal incisions. A holder is configured to hold the collapsible device, and to selectively collapse the device for introduction into the patient and then re-enlarge the device at the desired deployment site. Collapsible devices include devices that can hingedly fold about hinge lines, and devices that can elongate to form substantially spiral forms with reduced diameters.
Claims23
A method of implanting devices in a human body, comprising:
- creating an intercostal opening in the chest cavity of a patient;
- grasping a device holder having a collapsible and longitudinally elongatable implantable intracardiac device on the distal end thereof, wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of an annuloplasty ring and a prosthetic heart valve;
- collapsing the device by operating one or more controls of the device holder to collapse the device;
- after collapsing the device, advancing the collapsed device directly through the intercostal opening and into the patient;
- positioning the device at an intracardiac deployment site in the patient;
- uncollapsing the device so that the device returns to an open and deployed configuration;
- securing the device to the deployment site in the patient;
- releasing the device from the device holder;
- and
- removing the device holder from the patient, wherein
- the implant includes a support ring comprising opposing first and second ends which are positioned adjacent each other when the device is in the open and deployed configuration, the device holder has first and second arms to which the first and second ends are secured, and wherein collapsing the device comprises displacing the first and second arms to space the first and second ends away from each other to thereby cause the support ring to transform to an elongated configuration, and wherein the support ring comprises a support structure which biases the support ring to the open and deployed configuration.
A method of implanting devices in a human body, comprising:
- creating an intercostal opening in the chest cavity of a patient;
- grasping a device holder having a collapsible and longitudinally elongatable implantable intracardiac device on the distal end thereof, wherein the device includes a support ring having opposing ends which are positioned adjacent each other when the device is in the an open and deployed configuration, wherein collapsing the device comprises elongating the opposing ends with respect to each other to thereby cause the support ring to transform to an elongated spiral configuration;
- collapsing the device by operating one or more controls of the device holder to collapse the device;
- after collapsing the device, advancing the collapsed device directly through the intercostal opening and into the patient;
- positioning the device at an intracardiac deployment site in the patient;
- uncollapsing the device so that the device returns to the open and deployed configuration;
- securing the device to the intracardiac deployment site in the patient;
- releasing the device from the device holder;
- and
- removing the device holder from the patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.