Self-Actuating Sealing Legs for Prosthetic Valve Leak Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional collapsible prosthetic heart valves face issues with accurate deployment and anchoring, leading to complications such as valve migration, obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract, and perivalvular leakage, which can reduce cardiac efficiency and strain the heart muscle, especially in patients with uneven calcification or unresected native leaflets.
Innovation Solution
The development of a collapsible prosthetic heart valve with elongated legs and a sealing portion that transitions from an extended to a relaxed configuration, forming a sealing structure upon deployment, which can adapt to irregular native valve annuli, reducing gaps and leakage by forming sealing rings at various positions relative to native leaflets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional collapsible prosthetic heart valves are deployed, then the valve can be implanted less invasively, but accurate deployment and anchoring is difficult leading to valve migration and perivalvular leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing portion is divided into multiple independent elongated legs that can individually engage with the native valve annulus. Each leg acts as an independent anchoring element that can be positioned to accommodate anatomical variations, thereby improving deployment accuracy without increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The elongated legs are designed to transition dynamically from a compressed delivery configuration to an expanded deployed configuration. This dynamic transformation allows the sealing portion to adapt to the native valve annulus geometry, ensuring accurate anchoring while maintaining a compact delivery profile for less invasive implantation
2Stability of the object's composition
If the valve is anchored with excessive radial force to prevent migration, then anchoring stability is improved, but obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The radial force is distributed locally to specific engagement points where the elongated legs contact the native valve annulus, rather than applying uniform radial force across the entire valve. This localized anchoring provides stable fixation without excessive force that could obstruct the left ventricular outflow tract
Solution Approach 2:
The elongated legs provide dynamic anchoring that adapts to the native valve anatomy, engaging firmly at contact points to prevent migration while allowing controlled compliance to avoid excessive radial force. The legs can flex and adjust their engagement depth, providing stable anchoring without causing outflow tract obstruction
3Reliability
If the sealing portion is designed to adapt to irregular native valve annuli, then perivalvular leakage is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing portion is segmented into multiple elongated legs that can independently conform to irregularities in the native valve annulus. This segmentation provides adaptive sealing performance without requiring a complex overall structure, as each leg simply needs to engage with the local anatomy
Solution Approach 2:
The elongated legs serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support for the valve, enable accurate positioning, prevent migration, and create the sealing interface with the native valve annulus. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional separate components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity
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
The solution enhances the accuracy of valve implantation, reduces the risk of migration and leakage, and improves cardiac performance by securely anchoring the valve without excessive radial force, accommodating anatomical variations and calcified tissues.
Implementation Method 1
each of the legs having a first end coupled to the stent and a second free end, the elongated legs being configured to transition from an extended configuration to a relaxed configuration
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A prosthetic heart valve (300) for replacing a native valve includes a collapsible and expandable stent (306) having a proximal end (302) and a distal end (304), and a valve assembly (308) including a plurality of leaflets (310), the valve assembly (308) being disposed within the stent. The heart valve (300) further includes a first plurality of elongated legs (320) coupled to the stent (306) and transitionable from an extended configuration to a relaxed configuration. A first sealing portion (322) connected to the first plurality of legs (320) forms a sealing structure (350) when the legs (320) transition to the relaxed configuration to reduce perivalvular leakage between the implanted valve and surrounding tissue.