Prosthetic Heart Valve With U-Shaped Transitions for Stress Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transcatheter prosthetic heart valves face issues with long-term durability, high stress concentrations, calcification, and mechanical failure due to dynamic fluid pressure, leading to potential leaflet material tear or breakage, especially in treating cardiac valve stenosis and insufficiency.
Innovation Solution
A prosthetic heart valve design with integrally formed leaflets and skirt portions, U-shaped transition areas, and reinforced attachment to a stent, distributing stress loads over a larger surface area, reducing calcification risk and improving durability through chemical fixation and reinforcement elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a prosthetic heart valve is designed with separate leaflets and skirt portions, then ease of manufacture is improved, but stress concentrations occur at the junction leading to mechanical failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the leaflets and skirt portion into a single integral structure made from one piece of pericardial tissue. This eliminates the junction between separate components, removing stress concentration points while maintaining manufacturability through a unified cutting pattern approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved transition areas with U-shaped progression at the junction between leaflets and skirt portion. This curved geometry distributes stress loads over a larger surface area, preventing stress concentrations that would occur at sharp corners or flat junctions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the prosthetic heart valve uses natural tissue material, then biocompatibility is improved, but calcification and mechanical degradation occur over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite construction by combining natural pericardial tissue with reinforcement elements. The reinforcement elements provide structural strength and resistance to calcification, while the natural tissue maintains biocompatibility and valve function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies chemical fixation to the pericardial tissue to modify its physical and chemical properties. This chemical treatment enhances the tissue's resistance to calcification and mechanical degradation while preserving its biological compatibility.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the prosthetic heart valve is designed with rigid attachment to stent, then positioning stability is improved, but stress concentrations lead to leaflet material tear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different properties to different regions of the valve structure. The skirt portion has enhanced rigidity for stable attachment to the stent, while the leaflet regions maintain flexibility for proper opening and closing. The U-shaped transition area provides gradual stress distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The U-shaped transition area creates a curved, gradual connection between the skirt portion and leaflets. This curved geometry distributes stress loads over a larger surface area, preventing stress concentrations that would cause material tear at rigid junctions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances durability and minimizes stress concentrations, preventing mechanical failure and calcification, while ensuring accurate alignment and reducing paravalvular leakage, coronary obstruction, and device migration.
Implementation Method 1
The pericardial tissue may be subjected to a chemical fixation process to cross-link the collagen and elastin proteins present in the tissue material to thereby strengthen the prosthetic heart valve material.
Implementation Method 2
reinforced attachment to a stent, distributing stress loads over a larger surface area, reducing calcification risk and improving durability
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a prosthetic heart valve (100) for an endoprosthesis (1) used in the treatment of a stenotic cardiac valve and/or a cardiac valve insufficiency. The prosthetic heart valve (100) comprises of a plurality of leaflets (102), which consist of a natural and/or synthetic material and have a first opened position for opening the heart chamber and a second closed position for closing the heart chamber, the leaflets (102) being able to switch between their first and second position in response to the blood flow through the heart. In addition, the prosthetic heart valve (100) comprises a leaflet support portion (103), consisting of biological and/or synthetic material for mounting of the prosthetic heart valve (100) to a stent (10), and a bendable transition area (104) which forms a junction between the leaflets (102) and the leaflet support portion (103), the transition area (104) progressing essentially in a U-shaped manner similar to a cusp shape of a natural aortic or pulmonary heart valve for reducing tissue stresses during opening and closing motion of the leaflets (102). The invention further relates to an endoprosthesis (1) comprising a prosthetic heart valve (100) and a stent (10).