Patent ID: 7544205
Filing Date: 2009-06-09
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A medical device for regulating fluid flow through a body vessel, said medical device comprising: an intraluminal support frame having proximal and distal ends and comprising first and second axial portions and a plurality of ring structures joined by first and second sets of connector segments, each of the first set of connector segments joining only an adjacent pair of the plurality of ring structures and each of the second set of connector segments joining at least three ring structures of the plurality of ring structures, the first axial portion including connector segments of both the first and second sets of connector segments and the second axial portion including connector segments of only the first set of connector segments; and a valve member attached to the support frame and forming a valve opening that opens to permit fluid flow through the support frame in a first direction and closes to substantially prevent fluid flow through the support frame in a second, opposite direction; wherein each of the proximal and distal ends of the support frame comprises only one ring structure of the plurality of ring structures; and wherein the first axial portion includes the proximal end of the support frame and the second axial portion includes the distal end of the support frame and at least two adjacent ring structures of the plurality of ring structures, one of which is directly joined to the ring structure of the distal end by a connector segment of the first set of connector segments.