Angled Stent Prosthetic Heart Valve for Annulus Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional collapsible prosthetic heart valves often misalign with the native aortic valve annulus due to anatomical and acute curvature issues, leading to improper leaflet positioning and uneven force distribution, which can impair valve function and interfere with surrounding tissues like the mitral valve.
Innovation Solution
A prosthetic heart valve design featuring a stent with a proximal end oriented at an oblique angle between 5° and 25°, with a valve assembly attached at a similar angle, allowing for improved alignment and parallel positioning with the native valve annulus during minimally invasive implantation procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional stent with equal side heights is used, then the manufacturing is simple and symmetric, but the valve assembly cannot be aligned with the native valve annulus due to aortic arch curvature
Solution Approach 1:
The stent is designed with asymmetric side heights where the first side has a greater height than the second side. This asymmetry allows the valve assembly to be angled relative to the stent's longitudinal axis, enabling proper alignment with the native valve annulus despite the curvature of the aortic arch, thereby resolving the alignment accuracy issue without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an angular dimension to the stent-valve assembly configuration. The valve assembly is attached at an angle to the stent's longitudinal axis, creating a multi-dimensional orientation system that accommodates the three-dimensional anatomy of the aortic root and enables alignment with the valve annulus plane
2Manufacturing precision
If the stent is oriented obliquely to achieve proper alignment, then the valve leaflets can be positioned correctly, but uneven forces are exerted on surrounding tissue including the mitral valve annulus
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric stent design creates different geometric characteristics at different locations. The first side with greater height provides different mechanical support and force distribution characteristics compared to the second side, allowing localized adaptation to the anatomical structure and reducing concentrated stresses on surrounding tissues like the mitral valve annulus
3Productivity
If a symmetric stent design is used, then the device structure is simple, but repositioning is frequently required due to misalignment with the native valve annulus
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric stent geometry is pre-configured during manufacturing to match the anatomical requirements of the native valve annulus alignment. This preliminary geometric configuration eliminates the need for intra-procedural repositioning or adjustment, as the valve assembly is delivered in the correct angular orientation from the outset, thereby improving implantation efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A prosthetic heart valve includes a stent and a valve assembly attached to the stent. The stent has a longitudinal axis, a distal end and a proximal end adapted to reside adjacent the aortic annulus of a patient. The proximal end of the stent is oriented at an oblique angle to the longitudinal axis.