Patent ID: 6569198
Filing Date: 2003-05-27
Classification: A61F,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of decreasing the severity of valve regurgitation in a human heart having a gap between a posterior and an anterior leaflet through which blood flows backwards during ventricular contraction, the posterior and anterior leaflets connected to a valve annulus that includes an outer wall against which multiple marginal arteries lie to carry blood flow, the outer wall positioned adjacent to a blood vessel having an inner surface, the method comprising:inserting into the blood vessel a prosthetic device having opposite terminal ends and a nonuniform thickness with a section of greater thickness, the prosthetic device comprised of multiple segments operatively connected to form a unitary structure, the segments aligned to define a curved longitudinal axis of the prosthetic device and interconnected to impart additional curvature of the longitudinal axis in response to an applied force; positioning the prosthetic device in the blood vessel so that the section of greater thickness contacts the inner surface of the blood vessel in a region sufficiently remote from the marginal arteries such that blood flow through them is substantially unaffected in response to the application of a compression force against the outer wall of the valve annulus; applying a force to the prosthetic device to impart the additional curvature of the longitudinal axis in a direction that brings the terminal ends toward each other and thereby applies to the outer wall of the valve annulus a compression force effective to urge the leaflets into close apposition and thereby decrease severity of valve regurgitation; and anchoring the prosthetic device to maintain the additional curvature of its longitudinal axis and thereby keep the prosthetic device in place to maintain the effective compression force.