Patent ID: 9687344
Date: 2017-06-27
CPC Classifications: A61F

Claim:
1. A method of percutaneously deploying a stented prosthetic heart valve to an implantation site of a patient, the method comprising: receiving a delivery device loaded with a radially expandable prosthetic heart valve having a stent frame to which a valve structure is attached, the delivery device including a delivery sheath assembly containing the prosthetic heart valve in a compressed arrangement over an inner shaft in a delivery state of the device, and a capture assembly attached to the inner shaft, the capture assembly including: a spindle attached to the inner shaft and defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinal capture slots, a plurality of biasing members, each of which are disposed within each of the plurality of capture slots respectively, and configured to self-transition from a deflected condition to a normal condition, wherein each of a plurality of posts of the stent frame is slidably disposed within each of the plurality of capture slots respectively in the delivery state in a manner forcing the plurality of biasing members to the deflected condition; delivering the prosthetic heart valve in the compressed arrangement through a bodily lumen of the patient and to the implantation site via the delivery device in the delivery state; proximally retracting the delivery sheath assembly from the prosthetic heart valve; and permitting the plurality of posts to release from the plurality of capture slots, including the plurality of biasing members self-transitioning toward the normal condition to eject the plurality of posts from the plurality of capture slots.