A hybrid prosthetic heart valve configured to replace a native heart valve and having a support frame configured to be expanded post implant in order to receive and/or support an expandable prosthetic heart valve therein (a valve-in-valve procedure). The prosthetic heart valve may be configured to have a generally rigid and/or expansion-resistant configuration when initially implanted to replace a native valve (or other prosthetic heart valve), but to assume a generally expanded form when subjected to an outward force such as that provided by a dilation balloon or other mechanical expander. An inflow stent frame is expandable for anchoring the valve in place, and may have an outflow end that is collapsible for delivery and expandable post-implant to facilitate a valve-in-valve procedure.

A prosthetic heart valve may include an expandable stent, a cuff attached to an annulus section of the stent, and a plurality of leaflets disposed within an interior region of the stent and attached to at least one of the cuff or the stent. The stent may have a plurality of cells connected to one another in a plurality of annular rows around the stent. The leaflets together may have a coapted position occluding the interior region of the stent and an open position in which the interior region is not occluded. Each leaflet may include a primary leaflet material, as well as features that reinforce specific regions of the leaflet.

The application relates to a heart valve clamp, comprises a fixed arm mechanism, a clamping arm mechanism, and a driving mechanism. The fixed arm mechanism comprises a fixed arm body and at least two fixed arms, extending outward from the fixed arm body, and integrally formed with the fixed arm body. The clamping arm mechanism comprises a clamping arm body connected to a bottom of the fixed arm body, and at least two clamping arms extending outward from the clamping arm bodies and integrally formed with the clamping arm body; and the driving mechanism comprises a second driving assembly that drives the fixed arm and the clamping arm to open or close. The fixed arm mechanism and the clamping arm mechanism of the entire heart valve clamp respectively forms an integral form, which can avoid the risk of the fixed arm or the clamping arm being disengaged, the stability of the whole structure is better. The fixed arm and the clamping arm clamp the valve leaflets under three-dimensional ultrasound and angiography navigation, so that the regurgitation area is reduced, which is capable of treating mitral or tricuspid regurgitation while keeping heat beating.

A method of implanting a device in a heart includes inserting an implant into a blood vessel with a delivery apparatus. The implant includes a stent member and an adjustment member. The stent member is circumferentially expandable and contractible. The adjustment member is coupled to the stent member. The delivery apparatus includes a rotatable shaft and a locking mechanism coupled to an end portion of the shaft. The shaft of the delivery apparatus is releasably coupled to the adjustment member of the implant by the locking mechanism of the delivery apparatus. The method further includes positioning the implant at an implantation location within a heart by manipulating the delivery apparatus, and rotating the shaft of the delivery apparatus relative to the stent member of the implant to actuate the adjustment member of the implant. Actuating the adjustment member results in circumferential expansion or contraction of the stent member.

An implantable device delivery system is disclosed. The delivery system includes a constraining member situated between an interior layer and an exterior layer of a cover. The interior layer of the cover is disposed about an implantable medical device, and the exterior layer of the cover extends over a portion of the interior layer. The cover is generally tapered to minimize deployment forces. The constraining member is disposed about a portion of the interior layer and operates to constrain the implantable device to a delivery configuration. The cover and the constraining member are generally configured to be removed concurrently during deployment of the implantable device.

A system for fracturing a frame of a deployed prosthesis with ultrasonic vibration includes a shaft, a tip assembly, an ultrasonic electric generator, and an ultrasonic transducer. The shaft includes a proximal portion and a distal portion. The tip assembly is coupled to the distal portion of the shaft. The tip assembly includes a cutting edge. The ultrasonic transducer is electrically coupled to the ultrasonic generator. Ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic transducer is translated to the tip assembly. The cutting edge of the tip assembly is configured to focus the vibration of the tip assembly onto a frame of a deployed prosthesis to fracture the frame of the prosthesis. The ultrasonic transducer may be coupled to the proximal portion or the distal portion of the shaft.

A low profile implant, system and method of deployment includes a frame comprising an elongate body having ends that overlap to form an annular configuration of the frame. A circumference of the frame may be modified by varying an extent of the overlap between the ends of the elongate body. The elongate structure may extend through a sleeve of a number of respective anchor housings of the implant along a first axis, and anchors may be deployed through bores in the anchor housings along a second axis to secure the anchor housings to tissue. The implant may be deployed about and anchored to a valve annulus, and the circumference of the frame, and associated anchored tissue, may be adjusted to reconfigure the valve annulus.

A stent comprises a framework that includes a sequence of cells that each occupy a discrete segment of the stent length, and each of the cells includes a plurality of struts with ends connected at respective vertices. In some forms the hollow cylindrical shape of the framework is moveable among a loading diameter that is smaller than a tube diameter, which is smaller than an expanded diameter, and every strut of the framework is oriented parallel to the stent axis when the hollow cylindrical shape is at the tube diameter. In other forms the framework includes T-bars that connect adjacent cells, where the T-bars have a column that has a minimum width perpendicular to the long axis that is wider than a maximum width of each of the struts, and the column defines at least one slot. In still other forms, the framework exhibits geometries that facilitate a high packing density for the framework when the stent is in a compressed tube or loading configuration.

Methods and apparatuses for pumping blood within a blood vessel are described. The methods and apparatuses can be used for renal decongestion by pumping blood through the kidney(s), thereby increasing a pressure gradient across the kidney(s). The apparatuses can include one or more inflatable elements that can be repeatedly inflated and deflated to cause a pumping action within the blood vessel. In some embodiments, the one or more inflatable elements are positioned within one or more stents.

Disclosed herein are embodiments related to a method for performing a minimally invasive procedure, the method including delivering an annuloplasty ring in a linear shape using a delivery system. In some embodiments, the delivery of the annuloplasty ring may utilize a trans-septal approach or a trans-apical. In some embodiments, the delivery system may position the annuloplasty ring using a flexible stabilizing mechanism and/or activate one or more anchors to extend outward from the annuloplasty ring.