Patent ID: 11951007
Assignee: MEDTRONIC, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 14:
15. A method for deploying a stented heart valve, the method comprising:
advancing a delivery system including the stented heart valve disposed therein to a desired location;
retracting a sheath of the delivery system proximally past a first end of the stented heart valve, wherein the first end the stented heart valve is retained by the delivery system with the sheath retracting proximal of the first end of the stented heart valve by a plurality of elongated stent engagement elements, wherein each stent engagement element includes a stent engagement portion engaged with a stent of the stented heart valve; and
releasing the first end of the stented heart valve from the delivery system by disengaging the stent engagement portion of each stent engagement element from the stent,
wherein the stented heart valve is radially expanded to a fully deployed configuration via self-expansion or balloon-expansion,
wherein the delivery system further includes a plurality of elongated sleeves such that when the stent engagement portions of the elongated stent engagement elements are engaged with the stent, each elongated sleeve surrounds a respective one of the stent engagement portions and a portion of a stent of the stented heart valve to engage the stent engagement portion with the stent, and
wherein the step of releasing the first end of the stented heart valve from the delivery system comprises proximally retracting the elongated sleeves such that each elongated sleeve is spaced proximally of the respective stent engagement portion.