Patent ID: 8828078
Filing Date: 2014-09-09
Classification: A61F

Abstract:
1. A method for endovascularly replacing a patient's heart valve, the method comprising: endovascularly delivering an anchor and a replacement valve supported within the anchor to a vicinity of the heart valve in a collapsed delivery configuration, the anchor comprising a distal end and proximal end, and at least one grasping element adapted to grasp tissue in the vicinity of the heart valve; deploying the anchor by removing a constraint on the anchor such that the anchor self-expands from the collapsed delivery configuration to a larger diameter at-rest configuration and actively expanding the anchor to an even larger diameter deployed configuration, wherein deploying the anchor comprises rotating the at least one grasping element from a delivery configuration that is substantially parallel with the anchor in the collapsed delivery configuration to a second configuration, wherein in the second configuration the at least one grasping element extends distally from the proximal end of the anchor and wherein in the second configuration the at least one grasping element is at a first angle relative to the anchor, wherein deploying the anchor further comprises positioning the proximal end of the anchor further from a left ventricle than the distal end of the anchor; and wherein actively expanding the anchor further comprises rotating the at least one grasping element from the second configuration to a third configuration at a second angle with the anchor in the deployed configuration wherein the second angle is larger than the first angle; grasping the tissue between the at least one grasping element and the anchor.