Heart valve chord cutter

Abstract

A medical device and method for percutaneously treating a heart valve. In one embodiment, the medical device includes a catheter having a proximal portion, a distal portion, and a notch formed near the distal portion. A cutting element may be disposed within the distal portion and is moveable across the notch to slice through a heart chord.

Description

[0001] The present application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 295,383, filed Nov. 15, 2002.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The disclosure, in one embodiment, relates generally to the treatment of heart related diseases, and more particularly, in one embodiment, to the treatment of defective heart valves. BACKGROUND [0003]FIG. 1A illustrates a heart 10 with a partial internal view and arrows indicating the direction of blood flow within the heart. Four valves in the heart 10 direct the flow of blood within the left and right sides of the heart. The four valves include a mitral valve 20, an aortic valve 18, a tricuspid valve 60, and a pulmonary valve 62 as illustrated in FIG. 1A. The mitral valve 20 is located between the left atrium 12 and the left ventricle 14. The aortic valve 18 is located between the left ventricle 14 and the aorta 16. These two valves direct oxygenated blood coming from the lungs, through the left side of the heart, into the aorta 16 for distr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The patent describes a medical device and method for treating a heart valve through a percutaneous procedure. The device includes a catheter with a cutting element that can be moved across a notch to slice through a heart chord. The technical effect of this invention is the ability to perform a minimally invasive procedure to treat heart valves, reducing the risk of complications and recovery time for patients."

Problems solved by technology

This may lead to heart damage over a period of time.

These invasive procedures subject patients to a tremendous amount of pain and discomfort and require lengthy recovery and / or hospitalization periods.

Patients with congestive heart failure may not be able to tolerate the surgical procedures, leaving them with little or no alternative to treat their defective heart valves.

Moreover, reducing the annular size alone may still leave the patient with regurgitation symptoms because the mitral valve leaflet may still be tethered by chordae to the displaced papillary muscles and ventricular walls.

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