Patent ID: 7799069

Claim:
An implantable valvular prosthesis, comprising; a cylindrical stent body member having luminal and abluminal surfaces thereof and a central annular opening along a central longitudinal axis of the stent body member; a graft member covering at least a portion of at least one of the luminal and abluminal surfaces of the stent body member; a proximal flange and distal flange; wherein both the proximal flange and distal flange define opposing ends of the stent body member and project radially outward, substantially perpendicular and away from the central longitudinal axis of the stent body member upon deployment and radial expansion of the stent body member, and wherein each proximal flange and the distal flange are defined by a plurality of stent struts and interstices between adjacent struts; at least one valve flap member biased to a closed position under zero pressure differential across the prosthesis, the closed position acting to occlude the central annular opening of the stent body member; and a flow regulation strut coupled to the proximal flange and an intermediate annular section and coupled to the valve flap member, the flow regulation strut imparting a bias to the valve flap member.