Patent ID: 11872125
Assignee: EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CORPORATION
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 17:
18. A system, comprising:
a delivery catheter comprising a balloon; and
an implantable prosthetic heart valve, comprising:
a plastically expandable and compressible unitary frame having an inflow end portion and an outflow end portion, the frame comprising at least first, second, and third rows of angled struts that define two circumferentially extending rows of diamond-shaped cells that extend continuously around the frame, the first row of angled struts defining a terminal inflow end of the frame,
a valvular structure comprising a plurality of leaflets formed of pericardial tissue, each leaflet having an upper edge, and a cusp edge portion, wherein each leaflet is secured to an adjacent leaflet to form a plurality of commissures that are fixed relative to the frame, and
an inner skirt disposed radially between the frame and the cusp edge portions of the leaflets;

wherein the cusp edge portion of each leaflet comprises opposing side edges, each of which is coupled to the inner skirt with stitches forming a diagonal path that extends parallel to consecutive struts in the first, the second, and the third row of struts; and
wherein the implantable prosthetic heart valve can be mounted around the balloon in a compressed configuration and radially expanded to an expanded configuration with the balloon inside a patient's body.