Heart Valve Leaflet Pad for Closure Support Without Flow Restriction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heart valve repair devices, such as those with a clip-like structure, can cause stenosis and interfere with the natural coaptation and separation of leaflets, leading to blood regurgitation and adverse effects on the valve structure and function.
Innovation Solution
A medical device with a pad positioned among the leaflets of the heart valve, allowing the valve to periodically open and close by cooperating with the leaflets, featuring an adjustment mechanism and a support member to maintain the pad's position, thereby enhancing closure and reducing regurgitation while minimizing interference with blood flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a clip-like repair device is used to clip onto valve leaflets, then valve closure insufficiency is improved, but the effective area for blood flow is reduced causing stenosis
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful clipping function from the repair device and replaces it with a pad that fills the gap between leaflets. The pad is positioned among the leaflets to support closure without constricting the valve opening, thereby eliminating stenosis while maintaining closure function.
Solution Approach 2:
The pad acts as an intermediary element between the valve leaflets. Instead of directly clipping the leaflets together (which causes stenosis), the pad mediates the closure process by filling the gap and supporting the leaflets in a closed position, thus improving closure without reducing blood flow area.
2Reliability
If a clip-like repair device clips the pair of leaflets together, then valve closure is improved, but the leaflets are prevented from naturally coaptating and separating during cardiac cycle
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables the valve leaflets to perform their natural coaptation and separation functions without external mechanical intervention. The pad supports the leaflets during closure but does not constrain their natural movement, allowing the valve to open and close autonomously during the cardiac cycle.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of actively clipping and constraining the leaflets (conventional approach), the invention passively supports them through the pad (inverted approach). This inversion allows the leaflets to maintain their natural mobility while still achieving effective closure.
3Reliability
If a clip-like repair device is used, then valve closure insufficiency is corrected, but problems are caused to the structure and function of the pair of leaflets and associated tissues
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful effect of mechanical clipping into a beneficial passive support mechanism. The pad provides the necessary closure support without the damaging mechanical forces of clipping, thereby protecting the leaflet structure and function while achieving the same therapeutic goal.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a medical device for improving a function of a valve of a patient. This valve includes a plurality of leaflets. The medical device includes a pad configured to be positioned among the plurality of leaflets of the valve, to make the valve periodically open and close by cooperating with the plurality of leaflets. Via the pad located among the plurality of leaflets, the medical device provided by the present disclosure is able to improve a closure condition of the valve, so that the valve is able to close properly, and thus regurgitation of blood is effectively prevented or reduced.