Patent ID: 11864993
Assignee: THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. A mitral valve prosthesis comprising:
a stent having an expanded and an unexpanded state and that includes
a long axis;
a middle region having first and second ends and comprising a framework that defines inner and outer surfaces;
a lower flange portion at the first end of the middle region that comprises a plurality of flange elements forming an irregularly spaced array, each of said flange elements of the lower flange portion having a first end that is attached to the middle region and an opposed second end that is spaced from the first end of the flange elements of the lower flange portion;
an upper flange portion at the second end of the middle region that comprises a plurality of flange elements, each of said flange elements of the upper flange portion having a first end that is attached to the middle region and an opposed second end that is spaced from the first end of the flange elements of the upper flange portion,

wherein at least one flange element of one or both of the lower flange portion and the upper flange portion is fitted with a webbing
and,
a valve that is attached to the inner surface of the middle region of the stent,
wherein,
when said stent is in the unexpanded state, the upper and lower flange portions are oriented substantially along the long axis of the stent;
when said stent transitions from the unexpanded state to the expanded state, the lower flange portion transitions in space so that it is no longer oriented substantially along the long axis of the stent;
wherein the lower flange portion is oriented substantially parallel relative to the long axis of the stent when the stent is in the expanded state, and,
wherein the lower flange portion is adapted to grasp leaflets and chordae of a native mitral valve by enfolding the leaflets and chordae between the lower flange portion and the outer surface of the middle region in order to anchor the stent within a mitral annulus.