Expandable Mitral Prosthetic Valve Anchoring With Reduced Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing prosthetic heart valves are large in size, difficult to deliver without causing tissue damage, and challenging to securely implant at the native valve site, often protruding into surrounding heart chambers and impairing cardiac function.
Innovation Solution
Prosthetic heart valves with expandable designs featuring struts and tissue anchoring legs of varying cross-sectional areas, allowing for reduced axial length and improved maneuverability, along with enhanced anchoring mechanisms for secure implantation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing prosthetic heart valves are made large in size to ensure adequate valve function and anchoring, then valve functionality is improved, but delivery difficulty increases and tissue damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The prosthetic valve is divided into multiple struts arranged in a lattice pattern, allowing the valve to be collapsed into a compact configuration for easy delivery while maintaining adequate valve function when expanded. The segmented strut design enables the valve to achieve sufficient anchoring area without requiring a large monolithic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The prosthetic valve is designed to be nested within a delivery catheter during delivery, allowing the valve to be transported through the vascular system in a compressed state. The valve struts can be collapsed and nested within the delivery catheter lumen, then deployed at the target location where they expand to their functional size.
2Reliability
If existing prosthetic heart valves are made large in size to ensure adequate valve function, then valve functionality is improved, but tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is constructed from multiple thin struts arranged in a lattice pattern, which distributes the mechanical stress across many smaller contact points with the tissue rather than concentrating force on a few large structures. This segmented approach reduces localized tissue damage while maintaining adequate anchoring and valve function.
Solution Approach 2:
The struts are designed with varying cross-sectional areas, with thicker portions providing anchoring functions and thinner portions minimizing tissue interaction. The local quality variation allows the valve to achieve sufficient mechanical strength at critical locations while reducing overall tissue damage potential during delivery and implantation.
3Strength
If existing prosthetic heart valves are made large in size to ensure adequate anchoring, then anchoring strength is improved, but protrusion into heart chambers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The anchoring function is distributed across multiple struts extending from the valve body rather than relying on a single large anchoring structure. This segmentation allows sufficient anchoring strength to be achieved through collective action of multiple struts while keeping the overall axial length minimized for easier delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve design utilizes radial expansion of struts to achieve anchoring strength rather than relying solely on axial dimensions. By expanding the struts radially at the implantation site, the valve achieves adequate anchoring area without increasing axial length, allowing the valve to be delivered in a compressed axial configuration.
4Reliability
If existing prosthetic heart valves are made large in size to ensure adequate valve function, then valve functionality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is constructed from multiple identical or similar struts arranged in a lattice pattern, which simplifies the manufacturing process compared to creating a single complex monolithic structure. The repetitive strut design allows for standardized manufacturing components that can be assembled into the final valve configuration, reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The struts are designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support for the valve leaflets, create anchoring points in the tissue, and form the framework for blood flow paths. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining adequate valve functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
An expandable prosthetic valve for implantation within a native mitral valve may be provided. The prosthetic valve may include an expandable valve body having an atrial end, a ventricular end opposite the atrial end, and an intermediate portion extending between the atrial end and the ventricular end. The valve body may include a plurality of struts intersecting at junctions. The prosthetic valve may also include a plurality of tissue anchoring legs extending from junctions within the intermediate portion of the valve body. At least one of the tissue anchoring legs may have a cross-sectional area which is larger by at least 20% than a cross-sectional area of a strut extending between the at least one tissue anchoring leg and an adjacent tissue anchoring leg.