Patent ID: 9168134
Filing Date: 2015-10-27
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A method for delivering a prosthetic heart valve, comprising: advancing a prosthetic heart valve through the vasculature of a patient to a treatment site along a wall of a blood vessel, the prosthetic heart valve comprising (i) a tubular support structure comprising a plurality of independently expandable segments oriented along the periphery of the support structure, and (ii) a plurality of valve leaflets coupled with the plurality of segments; expanding an expansion member within the tubular support structure such that the tubular support structure expands and contacts the vessel wall, wherein the blood vessel is not occluded while the expansion member is expanded within the blood vessel, wherein the expansion member comprises: (i) a plurality of expandable elements, each being oriented about a centrally located longitudinal axis, the axis not passing through an expandable element and (ii) a central lumen configured to allow passage of a guidewire through the expansion member; wherein expanding the expansion member comprises expanding a first one of the plurality of expandable elements; and expanding a second one of the expandable elements after expanding the first one of the expandable elements, wherein the first and second ones of the expandable elements are both within the tubular support structure when they are expanded.