Patent ID: 8349000
Filing Date: 2013-01-08
Classification: A61F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A prosthetic heart valve for delivery into a heart without requiring open heart surgery, comprising: a collapsible, self-expanding support stent comprising a shape memory material, the support stent including a generally tubular base along an inflow end and three commissure posts provided along an outflow end and extending in an outflow direction, the three commissure posts being cantilevered from the base, each commissure post having a slot formed therein; and a flexible tubular member attached to the support stent, the flexible tubular member comprising a fabric section connected to the base along the inflow end of the support stent and a leaflet section defining three leaflets connected to the commissure posts along the outflow end of the support stent, wherein portions of the leaflet section extend outward through the slots in the commissure posts for securing the leaflet section to the commissure posts; wherein the prosthetic heart valve is compressible to a size suitable for delivery into the heart within a catheter and wherein the base of the support stent is expandable to engage the prosthetic heart valve to an annulus of a native aortic valve and wherein the commissure posts of the support stent support the three leaflets downstream of the base, and wherein the leaflet section forms loops that pass through each of the commissure posts slots and the prosthetic heart valve further includes inserts disposed within the loops on an outside region of each commissure post, the inserts each having a greater width than the circumferential width of the slots to prevent the loops from pulling inward through the slots.