Patent ID: 7857845

Claim:
A cardiac valve prosthesis adapted for implantation at an implantation site of a patient, the implantation site having an annulus, a plurality of Valsalva sinuses, coronary ostia, and a vessel wall distal to the Valsalva sinuses, the prosthesis having a principal axis extending longitudinally therethrough and comprising: an armature adapted for delivery in a radially collapsed configuration and deployment in a radially expanded configuration, the armature defining a lumen for passage of blood flow and comprising: first and second annular elements positioned about the principal axis, the first annular element adapted to engage a wall of the annulus proximal to the Valsalva sinus and the second annular element adapted to engage the vessel wall distal to the Valsalva sinus; a plurality of anchor members extending from the first annular element to the second annular element, each anchor member arching radially outward with respect to the annular elements such that the anchor member is adapted to extend into and generally conform to a respective one of the Valsalva sinuses between the first and second annular elements to enable anchorage of the prosthesis at the implantation site when the cardiac valve prosthesis is deployed at the implantation site with the armature in the radially expanded configuration; and a plurality of valve support members connected to and extending between the first and second annular elements and oriented generally parallel to the principal axis of the prosthesis, wherein each of the valve support members and each of the anchor members are angularly spaced from one another around the principal axis; and a set of prosthetic valve leaflets coupled to the valve support members.