Radially Expandable Valve Frame for Stable Transcatheter Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for improved transcatheter heart valves and methods for their assembly, particularly in addressing the challenges of delivering and implanting prosthetic heart valves through the vasculature to the heart with enhanced durability and reduced material usage.
Innovation Solution
The development of a radially expandable and compressible annular frame for prosthetic valves, featuring a pivot joint between struts and interconnected leaflets secured with sutures, allowing for radial expansion and compression, and a valvular structure with leaflets configured to regulate blood flow, along with attachment mechanisms to reduce stress and improve durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional riveted connections are used to join struts, then structural strength is improved, but device complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the connection function into the strut design itself by creating pivot joints that are integral to the strut structure. The struts are designed with interlocking features that allow adjacent struts to connect through pivoting motion, eliminating the need for separate rivets or fasteners. This combining of connection functionality into the primary structural elements reduces device complexity while maintaining strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The strut design incorporates self-connecting features where the struts themselves perform the connection function through their geometric configuration and pivoting capability. The struts are designed to automatically align and connect to adjacent struts during deployment, without requiring external fastening components. This self-service approach reduces material usage and assembly complexity while maintaining structural integrity.
2Ease of operation
If the prosthetic valve is delivered in a compressed state through vasculature, then ease of delivery is improved, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic structure where the struts are designed to pivot relative to each other, allowing the frame to transition between compressed and expanded states. The pivot joints enable the struts to rotate and reposition themselves during deployment, transforming the frame from a compact delivery configuration to a stable functional configuration. This dynamic capability allows the valve to maintain stability during delivery while achieving structural integrity at the implantation site.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is segmented into multiple struts connected by pivot joints, allowing independent movement of each strut segment. This segmentation enables the frame to be compressed into a compact form for delivery while maintaining the ability to expand into a stable configuration upon deployment. The modular segmented structure provides both compressibility for delivery and stability for the expanded state.
3Reliability
If more material is used to reinforce the valve structure, then durability is improved, but material usage and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes curved and angled strut configurations with optimized geometric shapes to distribute mechanical stresses evenly throughout the structure. The struts are designed with specific curvature profiles and angular relationships that enhance structural strength without requiring additional material. The geometric optimization allows the existing material to be more efficiently utilized, improving durability while minimizing material usage.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A prosthetic valve includes a radially expandable and compressible annular frame and a valvular structure. The frame includes a first strut and an adjacent second strut that overlap at a pivot joint. Radial expansion or compression of the frame causes the first strut to pivot relative to the second strut at the pivot joint. The valvular structure includes first and second leaflets attached to the first and second struts with a suture. The first and second struts define four strut segments connected by the pivot joint. The suture comprises three interconnected locking knots that are respectively attached to three of the four strut segments.