Patent ID: 9662204
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: A61F,B05B,E03C,Y10T

Claim:
1. A system comprising: an implantable prosthetic valve having a radially collapsible and expandable annular frame and tissue leaflets mounted inside of the frame; a crimping apparatus having a plurality of crimping jaws arranged to form an aperture sized to receive the implantable prosthetic valve and to radially collapse the implantable prosthetic valve from a first, expanded state to a second, radially collapsed state; and a layer of deformable material configured to be positioned as an intermediate protective layer between the plurality of crimping jaws of the crimping apparatus and the frame of the implantable prosthetic valve, wherein the layer of deformable material comprises an annular sleeve configured to be placed around the implantable prosthetic valve, and wherein the layer of deformable material can be removed from the implantable prosthetic valve prior to implanting the implantable prosthetic valve.