Patent ID: 8657872

Claim:
A replacement cardiac valve comprising: a helical anchor configured to engage opposite sides of one or more leaflets of a defective cardiac valve, the helical anchor consisting of an upper turn and a lower turn and configured to be extruded through a delivery catheter; an expandable stent configured to transition from a contracted delivery state to an expanded deployed state, the expandable stent having an upper flared portion with an upper flared end and a lower flared portion with a lower flared end, the upper and lower flared portions meeting at a waist; and a replacement valve disposed within the expandable stent, wherein the expandable stent is configured to be deployed within the helical anchor such that the waist captures the helical anchor, the upper and lower flared portions urge the upper and lower turns into engagement with the one or more leaflets, and the upper and lower flared ends extend radially beyond the helical anchor, the helical anchor limiting expansion of the expandable stent.