Patent ID: 8235933

Claim:
A device for decreasing blood pressure in the left atrium of a heart of a human with congestive heart failure, the device comprising: a shunt tube element configured for percutaneous placement across an atrial septum of the human with congestive heart failure so as to define a passageway between the right atrium and the left atrium through the atrial septum; a valve element disposed within the shunt tube element and configured to open to permit blood to flow from the left atrium to the right atrium through the shunt tube element only when the blood pressure in the left atrium exceeds the blood pressure in the right atrium; and a fixation element comprising first and second self-expanding end regions configured to retain the shunt tube element within the atrial septum, the device being configured such that the first self-expanding end region communicates with the left atrium and the second self-expanding end region communicates with the right atrium and reduces the blood pressure in the left atrium by transferring blood from the left atrium to the right atrium through the shunt tube element responsive to a predetermined differential atrial pressure.