Patent ID: 8597348

Claim:
A method for treating a deficient native mitral valve, the method comprising: percutaneously inserting a guide catheter into a vasculature of a patient; advancing the guide catheter into an aortic arch; advancing a first catheter and a second catheter through the guide catheter into a left ventricle; looping the first catheter and the second catheter at least partially around chordae tendineae in the left ventricle; advancing a guidewire through the first catheter and the second catheter, the guidewire looping at least partially around the chordae tendineae; withdrawing the first catheter and the second catheter; attaching a cord of biocompatible material to the guidewire, the cord of biocompatible material comprising a first end and a second end, the first end comprising a first part of a snap-fit connection and the second end comprising a second part of a snap-fit connection, the cord of biocompatible material comprising a biocompatible alloy; advancing the cord of biocompatible material into the left ventricle over the guidewire; pulling the cord of biocompatible material in a partial loop around the chordae tendineae using the guidewire; urging the first end and the second end of the cord of biocompatible material together into a closed loop, locking the first part of the snap-fit connection at the first end of the cord to the second part of the snap-fit connection at the second end of the cord, thereby providing a support band; withdrawing the guidewire; positioning and holding the support band around native leaflets of a native mitral valve on the outflow side of the native mitral valve; advancing a third catheter into the left ventricle, the third catheter carrying a prosthetic heart valve; positioning the prosthetic heart valve within the support band and the annulus of the native mitral valve; and balloon expanding the prosthetic heart valve, thereby pinching the native mitral valve leaflets between the prosthetic heart valve and the support band, securing the prosthetic heart valve within the annulus of the native mitral valve for treating the deficient native mitral valve.