Children's Medical Center Corporation

Fetal Care Consultants, LLC

Alan W Nugent

James E Lock

Kevin P Magee

Methods and systems for fetal intervention to address malformations or other conditions are presented. In one instance, a method is provided that includes introducing a guide catheter into the fetus' venous system and using controlled magnets to position the guide catheter at a desired location. The method also involves positioning the treatment catheter at a treatment location using the guide catheter and delivering a treatment using the treatment catheter at the treatment location. In one particular application, a hypoplastic left heart is treated by using a balloon catheter as the treatment catheter and inflating a balloon on the balloon catheter at the aortic valve. Other methods and systems are disclosed.

Fetal intervention using magnetically-guided navigation

A replacement heart valve apparatus. The heart valve apparatus includes a stent and a valve frame having a substantially cylindrical body defining a lumen. The valve frame includes a plurality of curved wire pairs attached to the substantially cylindrical body. Each curved wire pair includes an inner curved wire and an outer curved wire. The wire frame further having a plurality of leaflets. Each leaflet is attached to a respective inner curved wire and extends over a respective outer curved wire, so as to position the body of the leaflet within the lumen of the valve frame.

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Dallas, TX, United States of America

Alan W Nugent