Patent ID: 9554905
Date: 2017-01-31
CPC Classifications: A61F

Claim:
1. Apparatus for delivering a prosthetic heart valve into a patient, comprising: a longitudinal outer shaft extending from a proximal portion of the apparatus to a distal portion of the apparatus, the outer shaft having a longitudinal axis and a fixed position relative to the proximal portion of the apparatus; a longitudinal inner shaft disposed inside the outer shaft, the inner shaft being longitudinally movable relative to the outer shaft; a tip structure mounted on a distal portion of the inner shaft for substantially closing a distal end of the outer shaft when the inner shaft is pulled proximally back relative to the outer shaft; a control wheel rotatable relative to the inner shaft and operable to move the inner shaft longitudinally relative to the outer shaft while the outer shaft remains in the fixed position, the control wheel having a circumference; and a prosthetic heart valve disposed around the inner shaft proximal of the tip structure and inside a distal portion of the outer shaft, the prosthetic valve being releasable from the apparatus when the tip structure is moved distally away from the distal end of the outer shaft and the prosthetic valve is shifted distally beyond the distal end of the outer shaft.