Transcatheter atrial anchors and methods of implantation

Abstract

Anchor assemblies for endovascular introduction and implantation for tethering a replacement heart valve to a cardiac wall. An anchor delivery system introduces the assembly. The anchor may be either implanted with a tether connected thereto or implanted and then connected to a tether. If the latter, a tether assembly is mounted to the implanted anchor to connect the anchor to the valve. The anchors may be implanted into any cardiac wall including the interventricular septum or the epicardial space and the valve may replace the mitral or tricuspid valve.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 136,506 (filed Sep. 20, 2018) which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 943,971 (filed Apr. 3, 2018) and a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15 / 943,792 (filed Apr. 3, 2018), both of which claim the benefit of and priority to Provisional Patent Applications Ser. Nos. 62 / 481,846 (filed Apr. 5, 2017), 62 / 509,587 (filed May 22, 2017), and 62 / 558,315 (filed Sep. 13, 2017), the disclosures of all are herein incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to medical devices and systems that are implanted minimally invasively in the heart and methods of implantation of these devices and systems. More specifically, the invention pertains to intracardiac anchors for anchoring medical devices, such as cardiac valves, to a cardiac wall, including for interventricular or epicardial imp...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent relates to a medical device used to replace a damaged heart valve. The device consists of an anchor that is implanted into the heart wall and connected to a tether that is in turn connected to the valve. The anchor is designed to penetrate the heart wall and can be implanted either into the interventricular septum or the epicardial space. The tether can be connected to the anchor either directly or through a tether assembly. The device allows for minimally invasive surgery and reduces the risk of complications.

Problems solved by technology

These valves have been tested extensively for replacement of aortic, mitral, and pulmonic valves, but replacement of tricuspid valves remains challenging given the complex and delicate anatomy to which prostheses must attach.

Limiting paravalvular regurgitation of transcatheter mitral and tricuspid valves is challenging because the mitral and tricuspid annuli are complex saddle-shaped structures that are highly dynamic during the cardiac cycle.

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