Patent ID: 9629716
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: A61F

Claim:
1. A method of repairing a cardiac valve comprising: inserting a first turn of a helical anchor through an opening defined by valve leaflets of the cardiac valve, such that the first turn is at a first side of the cardiac valve; deploying a second turn of the helical anchor that is adjacent to the first turn at a second side of the cardiac valve, such that the helical anchor engages opposite sides of the cardiac valve and the valve leaflets without contacting any portion of existing valve annulus, and wherein at least part of the cardiac valve extends between the first and second turns and into an inner circumference of the helical anchor; deploying an expandable stent including a replacement valve within the inner circumference of the helical anchor, the helical anchor limiting expansion of the expandable stent.