Coiled Annuloplasty Ring Anchoring for Catheter Valve Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing annuloplasty implants face challenges in achieving secure fixation at the heart valve, leading to traumatic effects and increased patient risk due to insufficient suturing strength and complexity, especially during catheter-based procedures.
Innovation Solution
An annuloplasty device comprising first and second support rings arranged as a coil with integrated stents and retention units that pierce into tissue, providing a robust anchoring mechanism and minimizing separate components for improved long-term stability and reduced trauma.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If suturing devices are used to fixation annuloplasty implants, then the implant can be secured at the heart valve, but the procedure becomes time-consuming and increases patient risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fixation function from complex suturing devices and implements it through simple retention units with protrusions that pierce tissue. The retention units are integrated into the annuloplasty ring, eliminating the need for separate suturing operations while achieving reliable fixation through the protrusions engaging with the annular tissue.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention units are designed to automatically engage with the annular tissue upon implant deployment. The protrusions pierce the tissue and lock into place without requiring external suturing operations, making the fixation process self-performing and significantly reducing procedure time while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If suturing devices are used to fixation annuloplasty implants, then the implant can be secured, but the devices are not sufficiently compact for catheter based procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fixation function directly into the annuloplasty ring structure by integrating retention units with protrusions onto the ring itself. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate suturing devices, making the overall system more compact and suitable for catheter-based procedures while maintaining fixation reliability through the integrated retention mechanism.
3Ease of operation
If clips are used for positioning annuloplasty implants, then positioning can be achieved, but sufficient fixation is not obtained leading to traumatic effects
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using clips that attempt to grip and hold tissue from the outside, the patent inverts the approach by using protrusions that pierce through the tissue and lock into place from the inside. This inversion provides more reliable fixation while reducing trauma, as the retention units engage with the annular tissue in a manner that distributes forces more evenly and avoids concentrated pressure points.
Data Source
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AI summary
An annuloplasty device is disclosed comprising first and second support rings having a coiled configuration in which the first and second support rings are arranged as a coil around a central axis, wherein the first and second support rings are configured to be arranged on opposite sides of native heart valve leaflets of a heart valve, a stent arranged around at least a portion of the first and/or second support ring, and wherein the stent comprises retention units. A related method of repairing a defective heart valve is also disclosed.