Expandable Mitral Valve Repair Ring for Leaflet Coaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for repairing mitral valve dysfunction, such as mitral regurgitation and prolapse, often require invasive open heart surgery, posing significant risks and recovery challenges, especially for elderly or health-compromised patients.
Innovation Solution
A radially expandable heart valve repair apparatus comprising a ring with adjustable securing members, a tube structure, and a net structure with cells and positioning cords, allowing for non-invasive implantation and adjustment to fit different mitral valve geometries, thereby facilitating normal coaptation of leaflets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If open heart surgery is performed to repair or replace the mitral valve, then the valve function can be restored, but the patient faces morbidity and mortality risks and requires several months of convalescence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical open heart surgery system with a transcatheter delivery system that uses balloon expansion and radial force to deploy the valve prosthesis through peripheral vessels, eliminating the need for sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass while achieving the same valve replacement function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a catheter-based delivery system as an intermediary between the operator and the valve prosthesis, allowing the valve to be delivered through peripheral vessels and deployed at the target site without direct surgical access to the heart, thereby reducing procedural risks
2Reliability
If open heart surgery is performed to repair or replace the mitral valve, then the valve function can be restored, but the patient requires several months of convalescence
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical open heart surgery system with a transcatheter delivery system that uses balloon expansion and radial force to deploy the valve prosthesis through peripheral vessels, eliminating the need for sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass while achieving the same valve replacement function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a balloon catheter with a flexible membrane that can be inflated to expand the valve prosthesis to its functional diameter, allowing for minimally invasive deployment and faster patient recovery compared to open surgical approaches
3Device complexity
If a fixed-size valve prosthesis is used, then the device structure is simplified, but it cannot accommodate different mitral valve geometries of different patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a balloon-expandable valve prosthesis that transitions from a compressed delivery state to an expanded functional state, allowing the same device to adapt to different patient anatomies through controlled radial expansion while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in radial dimension through balloon expansion to accommodate different mitral valve geometries, allowing the valve prosthesis to be deployed at its optimal functional diameter while maintaining a compact profile during delivery through peripheral vessels
Data Source
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AI summary
A heart valve repair apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus has a radially expandable ring having a first ring component connectable to a second ring component by a pair of securing members, a tube structure, and a net structure extending distally from the ring to the tube structure. The net structure comprises a plurality of cells, each of which defines a hollow space which may comprise a quadrilateral shape or a pentagon shape. The net structure also comprises a plurality of positioning cords connecting the plurality of cells to the tube structure. In some embodiments, one or more tabs are arranged to project outwardly from an inner circumferential surface of the ring, aligned and dimensioned to allow passage of a tether therethrough.