Patent ID: 8591476

Claim:
An intravascular valve component comprising: a valve case including attached proximal and distal case portions, said case portions presenting respective spaced apart fluid ports and a fluid passageway extending between the ports; and a flexible pressure-actuated flow control valve disposed along the fluid passageway to control fluid flow therethrough, said valve including a generally arcuate-shaped central valve wall having an upper end, a lower end, a slit generally at said upper end, and a flange surrounding the central valve wall at said lower end, said flange including an outermost edge and a valve-seating projection extending axially from the flange and spaced outwardly from said valve wall and between said outermost edge and the valve wall to permit said slit to flex between open infusion and aspiration configurations, said flange being engagingly received between the attached case portions, one of said case portions including a groove, wherein said groove and said projection are shaped such that the projection is received within the groove when the flange is uncompressed between the attached case portions, wherein said projection engages the groove to substantially restrict radial movement of the flow control valve relative to the valve case and to coaxially align the valve with the one of said case portions presenting said groove to thereby position the valve wall concentrically within the fluid passageway.