US2012053680A1PendingUtilityA1

Reconfiguring Heart Features

38
Individually held — no corporate assignee on recordPriority: Aug 24, 2010Filed: Aug 25, 2010Published: Mar 1, 2012
Est. expiryAug 24, 2030(~4.1 yrs left)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Steven F. BollingJeremy A. AbbsBrian A. Biancucci
A61F 2/243A61F 2/2466A61F 2220/0016A61F 2210/0014A61F 2/2445A61F 2230/0069
38
PatentIndex Score
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Claims

Abstract

Among other things, a tool to attach a support to a heart valve annulus includes a stabilizing body that includes features to stabilize an axial position of the tool relative to the annulus, and an attachment device connected to the stabilizing body, the stabilizing body and the attachment device being movable relative to one another under control from a location remote from the tool, from one configuration in which the support is held in a pre-attachment contracted state to another configuration in which the support is held in an expanded state for attachment at multiple locations around the annulus by action from the remote location. Among other things, an apparatus includes structural elements, and gripping elements, and configuration elements attached to the respective structural elements and each controllable to permit or prevent the ring from expanding.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tool to attach a support to a heart valve annulus, the tool comprising
 a stabilizing body that includes features to stabilize an axial position of the tool relative to the annulus, and   an attachment device connected to the stabilizing body,   the stabilizing body and the attachment device being movable relative to one another under control from a location remote from the tool, from one configuration in which the support is held in a pre-attachment contracted state to another configuration in which the support is held in an expanded state for attachment at multiple locations around the annulus by action from the remote location.   
     
     
         2 . The tool of  claim 1  in which the tool is configured to permit blood to flow through during attachment. 
     
     
         3 . The tool of  claim 1  in which the attachment device is connected to the stabilizing body in a configuration to permit the attachment device to be withdrawn from the support after attachment by action from the remote location. 
     
     
         4 . The tool of  claim 1  for use with an annular support that includes sharp elements for attachment of the support to the annulus and connection elements to connect the support temporarily to the attachment device until the support has been attached to the annulus. 
     
     
         5 . The tool of  claim 1  in which the stabilizing body and the attachment device form a tracking mechanism and the attachment device is configured to track the tracking mechanism during relative motion of the attachment device and the stabilizing body. 
     
     
         6 . The tool of  claim 1  in which the stabilizing body is configured to match topological features of the annulus to provide stabilization without applying more than small radial forces to the annulus. 
     
     
         7 . The tool of  claim 1  in which the stabilizing body is configured to support leaflets of the valve of the heart in at least a nearly closed position when the tool is in place in the valve. 
     
     
         8 . The tool of  claim 1  in which the stabilizing body comprises a set of preformed flexible wires arranged around a central axis. 
     
     
         9 . The tool of  claim 1  in which the attachment device comprises a set of tubes arranged around a central axis and extending to the remote location. 
     
     
         10 . A tool to attach a support to a heart valve annulus, the tool comprising:
 flexible tubes that together carry the support, and   flexible wires passing through the flexible tubes, the flexible wires forming a basket that is contoured to contact a heart valve annulus at multiple points along its periphery.   
     
     
         11 . The tool of  claim 10  wherein the basket is collapsible for delivery to the annulus. 
     
     
         12 . The tool of  claim 11  further comprising a sheath over the collapsed basket. 
     
     
         13 . The tool of  claim 12  in which the sheath includes tubes sized to receive the flexible wires. 
     
     
         14 . The tool of  claim 12  in which the basket is expandable and the sheath resists expansion of the basket. 
     
     
         15 . The tool of  claim 10  in which the flexible wires provide a passage through which blood can flow. 
     
     
         16 . The tool of  claim 10  in which each of the flexible tubes has at least two lumens. 
     
     
         17 . The tool of  claim 16  in which each of the flexible wires has a free end that passes through one of the two lumens of the corresponding tube. 
     
     
         18 . The tool of  claim 17  in which the support is attached to another of the two lumens of each of the corresponding tube. 
     
     
         19 . The tool of  claim 10  in which each of the flexible tubes is configured to receive a strut feature of the support. 
     
     
         20 . The tool of  claim 10  in which the basket is shaped to allow heart valve leaflets to partially close when the basket is deployed in a heart valve. 
     
     
         21 . The tool of  claim 10  in which the basket conforms to a shape of the heart valve annulus. 
     
     
         22 . The tool of  claim 10  further comprising a guide catheter configured to guide the flexible wires along a common direction of travel. 
     
     
         23 . The tool of  claim 22  further comprising a collar attached to the flexible wires and sized to receive the guide catheter. 
     
     
         24 . An apparatus comprising
 an annular structure to be attached to a heart valve annulus, the annular structure being expandable and contractible between a contracted pre-attachment configuration and an expanded post attachment configuration,   the structure including holding elements that are configured (a) to be held by an attachment tool to enable the attachment tool to cause expansion and contraction of the annular structure in connection with attaching the annular structure to the annulus, and (b) to restrain the annular structure from being expanded, after the annular structure has been attached and the holding elements of the structure are no longer held by the attachment tool.   
     
     
         25 . An apparatus comprising:
 structural elements connected to form a ring, the structural elements being capable of expanding and contracting to make the ring bigger or smaller,   gripping elements attached to the structural elements to penetrate and grip heart tissue, and   configuration elements attached to the respective structural elements and each controllable to permit or prevent the ring from expanding.   
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25  in which the configuration elements are each sized to be received by a corresponding lumen of a delivery tool. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 25  in which the ring comprises polygonal elements. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 27  in which the configuration elements are capable of a first position flush with the polygonal elements and capable of a second position angled away from the polygonal elements. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 27  in which the polygonal elements comprise diamond-shaped elements. 
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 27  in which the configuration elements resist contraction of the polygonal elements when the configuration elements are in the position flush with the polygonal elements. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 30  in which the configuration elements resist horizontal contraction of the polygonal elements. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 30  in which the configuration elements resist vertical contraction of the polygonal elements. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 30  in which the configuration elements resist horizontal expansion of the polygonal elements. 
     
     
         34 . The apparatus of  claim 30  in which the configuration elements resist vertical expansion of the polygonal elements. 
     
     
         35 . A method comprising positioning a delivery head near to or in contact with a heart valve annulus, causing a heart valve support to expand by moving the heart valve support along a basket of the delivery head, and attaching the expanded heart valve support to the heart valve annulus. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  in which aligning the delivery head with a heart valve annulus comprises filling the annulus with the delivery head. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35  further comprising contracting the heart valve support after attachment.

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