TODAY’S PATENT – HEART VALVE PROSTHESIS AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE AND USE

The invention is related to replacement valves that aim to enhance the cardiac function of patients with cardiac valve dysfunctions like aortic valve regurgitation or aortic stenosis. The invention particularly focuses on heart valve prostheses that can be percutaneously delivered and offer better durability. The invention, patented by the USPTO on July 24, 2012, with serial number US8226710B2, was developed by Than Nguyen and others.

The heart valve prosthesis in the invention includes a self-expanding multi-level frame that supports a valve body comprising a skirt and multiple coapting leaflets. The frame can transition from a contracted delivery configuration that enables percutaneous transluminal delivery to an expanded deployed configuration that takes the shape of an asymmetric hourglass. The valve body skirt and leaflets are constructed so that the center of coaptation can be selected to reduce horizontal forces exerted on the valve’s commissures and to effectively distribute and transmit forces along the leaflets and to the frame. The valve body may also be utilized as a surgically implantable replacement valve prosthesis.