A method and devices for relieving pressure in the left atrium of a patient's heart is disclosed. The method includes using an ablative catheter in a minimally invasive procedure to prepare an opening from the coronary sinus into a left atrium of the patient's heart. Once the opening is prepared, the opening may be enlarged by a technique such as expanding a balloon within the opening. A stent is then placed within the coronary sinus of the patient, with a transverse portion expanding within the opening, allowing blood to flow from the left atrium to the coronary sinus and then to the right atrium. Pressure within the left atrium is thus relieved.

A method of deploying an implantable stented device in an anatomical location of a patient, including the steps of providing a delivery system with first and second stent engagement structures at its distal end, attaching a first structural element of the stented device to the first stent engagement structure and attaching a second structural element of the stented device to the second silent engagement structure, advancing the stented device to an implantation site, and sequentially disengaging the first structural element of the stented device from the first stent engagement structure of the delivery system and then disengaging the second structural element of the stented device from the second stent engagement structure.

Implants or systems of implants and methods apply a selected force vector or a selected combination of force vectors within or across the right atrium, which allow tricuspid valve leaflets to better coapt. The implants or systems of implants and methods make possible rapid deployment, facile endovascular delivery, and full intra-atrial retrievability. The implants or systems of implants and methods also make use of strong fluoroscopic landmarks. The implants or systems of implants and methods make use of an adjustable implant. The implants or systems of implants and methods may utilize a bridge stop to secure the implant.

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.

An implantable prosthetic device such as might be used to treat poor function of a diseased heart valve in a medical patient includes a body portion and an anchor portion including a plurality of paddles. Clasps attached to the paddles include fixed arms and moveable arms operable to secure the device to the patient's native valve leaflets.

The present invention relates to an artificial valve for implantation in a mammal body, in or adjacent to a mammal blood vessel, the artificial valve comprising a casing and an opening and closing mechanism, with at least part of said opening and closing mechanism being a first moving part adapted to make an opening and a closing movement relative to the casing, said movements comprising movements to assume an open and a closed position for opening and closing, respectively, of the blood flow through said blood vessel, as well as positions between said open and closed positions.

An implantable prosthetic valve includes an annular metallic frame and a valve assembly supported within the frame. The annular support frame is constructed with three longitudinal support beams of fixed length and web-like constructions that extend between and connect the support beams. The support beams are spaced apart in a substantially equidistant manner. The web-like constructions allow the annular support frame to be radially collapsible and expandable. Each support beam preferably has a column of pre-formed openings or bores extending along a length of the support beam. The valve assembly includes three valve leaflets, wherein each leaflet has opposing side portions and each side portion is paired with an adjacent side portion of an adjacent leaflet to form a commissure. The three commissures are secured to three respective support beams with stitching that extends through the leaflets and through the pre-formed openings or bores.

A prosthetic heart valve includes a collapsible and expandable stent having a proximal end, a distal end, an annulus section adjacent the proximal end and an aortic section adjacent the distal end. The stent is formed of a plurality of struts. A cuff is coupled to the stent. The cuff has one or more features configured to reduce abrasion and/or perivalvular leakage.

An implantable prosthetic device can include a radially expandable and compressible frame including an inflow end portion and an outflow end portion. The frame can include an expansion and locking mechanism comprising a member having a first set of lateral extensions disposed adjacent an outflow end and a second set of lateral extensions axially spaced from the first set, each lateral extension comprising a bore extending into the lateral extension. The frame can further comprise a commissure attachment member having a first set of arms each extending into a respective inner bore of the first set of lateral extensions and a second set of arms each extending into a respective inner bore of the second set of lateral extensions such that the commissure attachment member is restrained from movement relative to the expansion and locking mechanism in the radial and axial directions.

Described embodiments are directed toward centrally-opening, leaflet valve devices and systems for transcatheter delivery having a two-piece valve body as well as methods of making and delivering the two-piece valve devices. A transcatheter valve includes a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration. The transcatheter valve can further include an everted configuration and a non-everted configuration.