Trileaflet Mechanical Prosthetic Valve With Opening-Angle Stops
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical prosthetic heart valves do not mimic the natural human heart valve shape, leading to blood turbulence, increased coagulation risk, and wear and tear due to improper leaflet movement, necessitating anticoagulant use and potential malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A trileaflet mechanical prosthetic heart valve design with a ring, three hinges, and three leaflets, featuring protrusions to limit leaflet opening to 90° or less, ensuring laminar blood flow and independent movement, reducing turbulence and wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If traditional mechanical prosthetic heart valves are used, then durability is improved, but blood turbulence increases leading to coagulation risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent copies the natural human heart valve shape and structure, specifically using a trileaflet design that mimics the natural valve's three cusps. This copying approach allows the mechanical valve to achieve laminar blood flow similar to natural valves, reducing turbulence and coagulation risk while maintaining the durability of mechanical materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the valve leaflets to match natural heart valve dimensions and curvature. By adjusting the leaflet shape, size, and arrangement to replicate natural valve parameters, the design achieves physiological blood flow patterns that minimize turbulence while using durable mechanical materials.
2Productivity
If leaflets are allowed to open beyond threshold angle, then blood flow passage is improved, but leaflets get stuck in opened position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a stop mechanism that prevents the leaflets from opening beyond a predetermined threshold angle (typically 90-120 degrees). This preliminary constraint stops the harmful action of over-opening before it can occur, ensuring that backward blood flow cannot push the leaflets past the safe angle and hold them in an incorrectly open position.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop mechanism provides mechanical feedback to the leaflet system by physically limiting the opening angle. When the leaflet approaches the threshold angle, the stop mechanism engages to prevent further opening, creating a self-regulating system that maintains reliable closing function while allowing sufficient opening for blood flow.
3Ease of operation
If leaflets are attached to hinges, then movement is enabled, but wear and tear occurs at the interface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the hinge component from the valve design, eliminating the leaflet-hinge interface that causes wear and tear. By removing the hinge entirely and using an alternative attachment mechanism, the design maintains leaflet movement capability while eliminating the source of mechanical wear that limits valve lifespan.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new intermediary structure between the leaflet and the valve body that eliminates the need for traditional hinges. This intermediary mechanism provides the necessary movement function without creating a high-stress interface, thereby extending the valve's operational life while maintaining ease of leaflet operation.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If anticoagulants are used to prevent clots, then coagulation risk is reduced, but patient treatment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By copying the natural heart valve's shape and flow characteristics, the patent creates a mechanical valve that produces laminar blood flow similar to natural valves. This reduces blood stasis and turbulence, thereby lowering coagulation risk and potentially reducing or eliminating the need for lifelong anticoagulant therapy, simplifying patient treatment.
Data Source
AI summary
A mechanical prosthetic heart valve having a ring, multiple hinges, and multiple leaflets. The hinges are attached to the ring and are evenly spaced from one another along the inner circumference of the ring. Each leaflet is rotably attached to a hinge by an opening located in the center of the lower portion of the leaflets. The ring can include multiple protrusions located along the inner circumference of the ring. The protrusions of the ring limit the opening angle of the leaflets. By limiting the opening angle of the leaflets, wear and tear of the hinges and leaflets, as well as the probability of malfunction of the mechanical prosthetic heart valve are reduced. In addition, limiting the opening angle of the leaflets may increase the opening and closing speed of the leaflets, thus improving performance of the mechanical prosthetic heart valve when the patient is experiencing an elevated cardiac frequency.