Patent ID: 11857414
Assignee: EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES CARDIAQ LLC
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A  Y | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An assembly comprising:
a prosthetic heart valve comprising:
a frame having first and second end portions, a longitudinal axis extending between the first and second end portions, and a plurality of struts interconnected by a plurality of joints, wherein the frame is movable between an expanded configuration and a compressed configuration;
a valve component inside the frame, the valve component comprising a plurality of leaflets; and
an actuation mechanism comprising a first expansion element and a second expansion element, wherein the first expansion element is coupled to the frame at a first location, wherein the second expansion element is coupled to the frame at a second location axially spaced from the first location, wherein the first location and the second location are radially equidistant from the longitudinal axis, wherein the actuation mechanism is configured such that moving the first expansion element and the second expansion element toward each other in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame results in the frame moving from the compressed configuration to the expanded configuration, and wherein the actuation mechanism is configured such that moving the first expansion element and the second expansion element away from each other in a second direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the frame results in the frame moving from the expanded configuration to the compressed configuration; and

a delivery apparatus comprising a shaft and an actuation member, wherein the shaft comprises a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the actuation member extends from the first end portion of the shaft to the second end portion of the shaft, wherein the second end portion of the shaft is configured to contact the second expansion element of the prosthetic heart valve, and wherein the actuation member is releasably coupled to the first expansion element of the prosthetic heart valve and is configured to move the first expansion element of the prosthetic heart valve relative to the second expansion element of the prosthetic heart valve.