Apparatus for Implanting an Aortic Valve Prosthesis

Abstract

An apparatus for percutaneously implanting an aortic valve prosthesis includes a pump for pumping oxygenated blood from the left atrium into the descending aorta, during a period of time in which an aortic valve prosthesis is being implanted within a diseased aortic valve. First and second catheters are associated with the pump, and a third catheter has an end which is adapted for insertion into the ascending aorta, and the third catheter has an aortic valve prosthesis associated with another end of the third catheter.

1 . An apparatus for percutaneously repairing a diseased aortic valve in a heart having a septum, left and right atriums, left and right ventricles, and descending and ascending aortas associated with the heart, comprising:
 a pump;   a first catheter, having first and second ends, the first end adapted for insertion into the left atrium of the heart, the second end of the first catheter being associated with the pump;   a second catheter having first and second ends, the first end adapted to be inserted into a portion of the descending aorta, the second end of the second catheter being associated with the pump; and   a third catheter having first and second ends, the first end adapted for insertion into the ascending aorta, the third catheter having an aortic valve prosthesis associated with the second end of the third catheter, whereby upon disposing the aortic valve prosthesis within the diseased aortic valve and implanting the aortic valve prosthesis within the diseased aortic valve, oxygenated blood from the left atrium may be pumped into the descending aorta, during a period of time while the aortic valve prosthesis is being implanted within the diseased aortic valve.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pump is an external pump. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the aortic valve prosthesis includes a stent, and the stent is mounted on the first end of the third catheter. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the stent is a self-expanding stent. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the stent is a balloon expandable stent; and the third catheter is a dilatation catheter. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the pump is an external centrifugal pump. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first end of the first catheter is adapted to pierce the septum between the right and left atriums to enter the left atrium.