An anchoring device that can be positioned within a native valve, such as the native mitral valve, to secure a replacement prosthetic valve in place. The anchoring device can comprise a docking station formed of a super elastic wire-like member defining a continuous, closed shape. The docking station can have an upper or atrial ring with at least two ring portions or half rings that are spaced apart across gaps. Descending bends from the ends of the two ring portions lead to a pair of anchors. The anchors can include oppositely-directed rounded V-shaped arms that extend generally parallel to the upper ring. When installed by a delivery device, the anchors can be located in the subvalvular space or the region/vicinity of the native leaflets and pinch the leaflets and the annulus against the upper ring which is located on the other side of the annulus.

A percutaneous heart valve prosthesis including a collapsible valve body frame has a first end and a second end. The valve body frame is formed by a plurality of sub-frame members, each sub-frame member having a general form of a diamond with acute-angled vertices and oblique-angled vertices, wherein adjacent sub-frame members are joined at the oblique-angled vertices. A flexible skirt made from a non-biologic material extends around a periphery of the valve body frame. A one-way valve including a plurality of flexible valve leaflets is positioned within the valve body frame. The first end of the valve body frame is sized to pass through a valve orifice associated with a heart valve to be replaced and the second end of the valve body frame is sized so as not to pass through a valve orifice.

A modular valve prosthesis includes an anchor stent and a valve component. The anchor stent includes a self-expanding tubular frame member configured to be deployed in the aorta and a proximal arm component extending from a proximal end of the tubular frame member and configured to be deployed in the sinuses of the aortic valve. The anchor stent further includes attachment members extending from an internal surface of the tubular frame member. The valve component includes a valve frame configured to be deployed within the tubular frame member of the anchor stent such that the valve frame engages with the attachment members of the tubular frame member and a prosthetic valve coupled to the valve frame.

A method of placing a valve in a tubular organ including the steps of delivering an expandable tubular adapter to a site within the tubular organ, wherein the adapter includes an enclosed volume surrounded by an outer wall that is spaced from an inner wall, and first and second end walls. The method further includes expanding the outer wall relative to the inner wall so that the outer wall contacts the tubular organ, and placing a valve within the inner wall of the adapter. The method may further include inserting material into the enclosed volume of the adapter to expand the outer wall relative to the inner wall, which material may include liquid or gel. Alternatively, the valve may be positioned within the inner wall prior to the adapter being delivered to the desired site.

This invention relates to the design and function of a compressible valve replacement prosthesis, collared or uncollared, which can be deployed into a beating heart without extracorporeal circulation using a transcatheter delivery system. The design as discussed focuses on the deployment of a device via a minimally invasive fashion and by way of example considers a minimally invasive surgical procedure preferably utilizing the intercostal or subxyphoid space for valve introduction. In order to accomplish this, the valve is formed in such a manner that it can be compressed to fit within a delivery system and secondarily ejected from the delivery system into the annulus of a target valve such as a mitral valve or tricuspid valve.

Apparatus and methods are described including placing a valve frame within a subject's heart. The valve frame includes a valve frame body that is configured to support the prosthetic valve within the native atrio-ventricular valve, and at least one arm that is configured to extend from a ventricular portion of the valve frame. The at least one arm is deployed among chords of the native atrio-ventricular valve. Subsequently, at least a portion of the valve frame is rotated in a direction in which an interior of the arm faces, such as to modify shapes of the native valve leaflets and the ventricular structures, by recruiting and deflecting at least a portion of the chords. The frame body of the valve frame is then radially expanded, such as to hold the native valve leaflets and the ventricular structures at least partially in the modified shapes. Other applications are also described.

An aortic arch graft includes a generally cylindrical member formed from a plurality of struts having a proximal end and a distal end and a longitudinally extending lumen. The proximal end is configured for deployment within the ascending aorta and the distal end configured for deployment in the descending thoracic aorta. The aortic arch graft includes a graft material having an opening disposed between the proximal end and distal end with a plurality of radiopaque markers disposed around a periphery of the opening. The opening within the graft material allows blood flow transverse to the longitudinal lumen of the generally cylindrical member.

A prosthetic heart valve can include an outer support assembly, an inner valve assembly, which define between them an annular space, and a pocket closure that bounds the annular space to form a pocket in which thrombus can be formed and retained. Alternatively, or additionally, the outer support assembly and the inner valve assembly can be coupled at the ventricle ends of the outer support assembly and the inner valve assembly, with the outer support assembly being relatively more compliant in hoop compression in a central, annulus portion than at the ventricle end, so that the prosthetic valve can seat securely in the annulus while imposing minimal loads on the inner valve assembly that could degrade the performance of the valve leaflets.

Described embodiments are directed toward centrally-opening leaflet prosthetic valve devices having a leaflet frame and a leaflet construct. The leaflet construct is at least partially coupled to a leaflet frame outer side of the leaflet frame and being coupled thereto by a retention element.

A tubular instrument includes a tubular assembly having first and second handling tubes extending from a proximal operating area to a distal functional area, a radially self-expanding wire structure, and a holding device. The first and second handling tubes are rotatable relative to each other. A control interface is provided at the proximal operating area for the relative rotational motion actuation of the first and second handling tubes. The holding device includes a first connecting unit and a second connecting unit. The first connecting unit includes a first filament connecting unit having a first connecting filament fixed to a first structural connection interface of the wire structure and to a tube connection interface of the first handling tube and extends therebetween with a radial directional component, and which winds onto or unwinds from the first handling tube upon rotation of the first and second handling tubes.