Transcatheter Coaptation Element for Precise Mitral Valve Positioning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing treatments for mitral valve regurgitation, including pharmacological therapies and minimally invasive surgical options, face challenges such as patient compliance, invasiveness, high cost, dependence on operator skill, and potential for complications, with existing implants facing issues like fatigue failure and inaccurate positioning due to significant movement of valve tissues.

Innovation Solution

A coaptation assistance element delivery system that includes a conformable structure extending laterally across the valve opening, with anchors that can engage and disengage tissue, allowing for simple and reliable deployment without disrupting leaflet anatomy, and can be retrieved or replaced during subsequent procedures, using a less-invasive approach.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If surgical repair or replacement is performed, then severe valvular regurgitation is treated effectively, but the procedure is invasive and carries high risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetreatment effectivenessVSAvoidinvasiveness and risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical surgical intervention (open heart surgery, sternotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass) with a transcatheter delivery system that uses flexible catheters and delivery balloons to deploy valve replacement devices through vascular access, thereby substituting invasive mechanical surgery with a less invasive catheter-based mechanical system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces delivery catheters and delivery balloons as intermediary devices that carry the valve replacement device through the bloodstream to the target heart valve location, serving as mediators between the operator and the surgical site without requiring direct surgical exposure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If percutaneous delivery is used, then invasiveness is reduced, but precise positioning and deployment control become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveinvasivenessVSAvoidpositioning and deployment control

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates radiopaque markers and imaging guidance systems that provide real-time feedback on the position and orientation of the delivery catheter and implanted device, allowing the operator to monitor and adjust positioning and deployment parameters during the procedure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs flexible, dynamically controllable delivery catheters that can be steered and positioned remotely through the vasculature, with the ability to adjust catheter configuration and device deployment timing in response to real-time anatomical conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3849473B1System for transcatheter treatment of valvular regurgitation

Publication Date: 2026.04.29 POLARES MEDICAL INC

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Figure 1C~1D
Figure 1E

AI summary

The invention relates to a device for use in the transcatheter treatment of mitral valve regurgitation, specifically a coaptation assistance element for implantation across the valve; a system including the coaptation assistance element and anchors for implantation; a system including the coaptation assistance element and delivery catheter; and a method for transcatheter implantation of a coaptation element across a heart valve.