Braided Anchor Heart Valve Implant for Percutaneous Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical devices for replacing heart valves are often invasive and require significant recovery time, and there is a need for less invasive alternatives that can efficiently deliver and implant replacement valves with desirable features and benefits.
Innovation Solution
A replacement heart valve implant featuring a braided anchor member that actuates between an elongated delivery configuration and an expanded deployed configuration, with a circumferential seal member and valve leaflets, allowing for percutaneous delivery and secure implantation, potentially reducing invasiveness and improving recovery times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional surgical methods are used for heart valve replacement, then the valve can be securely implanted, but the procedure is highly invasive and requires significant recovery time
Solution Approach 1:
The heart valve implant is divided into distinct functional components: a braided anchor member for secure attachment to the native valve annulus, a circumferential seal member for preventing leakage, and valve leaflets for unidirectional flow. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while enabling delivery through a catheter-based approach, reducing invasiveness while maintaining implantation security
Solution Approach 2:
The valve components are nested within a delivery catheter system, with the braided anchor member, seal member, and leaflets sequentially deployed from the catheter tip. This nested configuration enables percutaneous delivery of the complete valve assembly through a minimally invasive access route while ensuring proper positioning and secure implantation at the target site
2Reliability
If a braided anchor member with multiple filaments is used, then the valve can be securely anchored, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual filaments are combined into a single braided anchor member structure, where the filaments are interwoven to create a unified component with enhanced mechanical properties. This merging approach maintains anchoring security through the distributed filament structure while simplifying manufacturing compared to assembling multiple separate anchoring elements
Solution Approach 2:
The braided anchor member utilizes composite construction with multiple filaments woven together, creating a structure that combines the strengths of individual filaments while providing enhanced load distribution and anchoring security. The composite braid structure can be manufactured using established braiding techniques, balancing performance requirements with manufacturing feasibility
3Reliability
If a circumferential seal member with reinforcing band is added, then sealing performance improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circumferential seal member incorporates a reinforcing band at its distal end, concentrating enhanced structural support precisely where it is needed to maintain seal integrity against pressure differentials. This localized reinforcement improves sealing performance while adding minimal complexity compared to a uniformly reinforced structure
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcing band is pre-integrated into the circumferential seal member structure, with the band already positioned and secured to the seal member filaments before implantation. This preliminary configuration ensures optimal sealing performance from deployment while avoiding the need for additional assembly steps that would increase device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A replacement heart valve implant may include a braided anchor member configured to actuate between a delivery configuration and a deployed configuration formed from a plurality of filaments, a circumferential seal member disposed about a distal portion of the anchor member and including a reinforcing band disposed at a distal end thereof, and a plurality of valve leaflets connected to the anchor member. The reinforcing band is secured to the anchor member adjacent a distal end of the anchor member by a plurality of lashings each attached to two individual filaments. The plurality of filaments defines a body section, a proximal crown section, and a distal crown section, wherein the proximal crown section includes a first plurality of end loops and a second plurality of end loops, wherein a proximalmost extent of the first plurality of end loops and the second plurality of end loops varies.