Edwards Lifesciences Corporation

Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.

Scimed Life Systems, Inc.

Other

Cardiac Pacemakers, Inc.

Boston Scientific Corporation

Pu Zhou

Erik E Bulman

Yidong M Zhu

Baigui Bian

Yong Gao

Thanh Huy Le

Tung Thanh Le

Michael G Valdez

Sonny Tran

Richard D White

Timothy A Geiser

Alpana Kiran Gowdar

David D Williams

Huisun Wang

Bin Tian

Sam Sok

James Q Feng

Hancun Chen

Matt Heidner

Michael D Johnson

Raymond Adney

Ram Periakaruppan

Tianwen Zhao

Bruce Alan Tockman

John Jianhua Chen

Hong Cao

Daniel T Quillin

Brice Lee Shireman

Shawn Sorenson

Horng-Ban Lin

Jeffrey Wu

Sean McNulty

Daniel James Horn

Anthony Ciro Vrba

Brian R Reynolds

Henry John Pepin

Joel M Wasdyke

Kenneth M Merdan

Peter Skujins

Greg Kampa

Benjamin Philip Gundale

Ismail Guler

Ling Wang

Todd D Eungard

Brian K Balzum

Joel WasDyke

Ismal Guler

Jon T Campion

Daniel J Gregorich

David Delon Williams

Brice L Shireman

Benjamin Gundale

John Chen

Disclosed herein are designs for improved inflatable structures for use during minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures. These inflatable structures facilitate the perfusion of blood through an anatomical structure, such as a heart valve, during the cardiovascular procedure. The inflatable structures are formed of a plurality of balloons arranged radially around a central location. The plurality of balloons form a lumen through which blood flows. Each balloon of the plurality is shaped or configured to stabilize the adjacent balloons, limiting their movement relative to each other. For example, some embodiments can feature balloons with a keystone shape that limits movement of the balloons inward toward the lumen. Some implementations can also include a support coil running through the lumen. The support coil holds enables the lumen to be open to perfusion even in the early stages of balloon inflation.

Perfusion balloon design

A delivery sheath includes an outer tubular layer and an initially folded inner tubular layer. When an implant passes therethrough, the outer tubular layer expands and the inner tubular layer unfolds into an expanded lumen diameter. The sheath may also include selectively placed longitudinal support rods that mediate friction between the inner and outer tubular layers to facilitate easy expansion, thereby reducing the push force needed to advance the implant through the sheath's lumen.

Expandable sheath

Disclosed herein are expandable introducer sheaths and methods of making and using the same. The sheaths minimize trauma to a patient's vasculature by allowing for temporary expansion of a portion of the sheath to accommodate passage of a delivery system for a cardiovascular device, then return to a non-expanded state after the passage of the device. The sheath includes an elongated annular member having longitudinally extending channels that facilitate the sheath's temporary expansion. The channels are positioned in such a way that, upon expansion, they enable the movement of protruding contact surfaces toward the inner and outer surfaces of the annular member, reducing friction between the surface and the passing device. Some embodiments of the expandable sheath include an elastic outer layer that pushes the protruding contact surfaces back towards their original positions after the passage of the device.

Inflatable devices are disclosed including a surface which has a network of polymer chains and is configured to be inflatable into a therapeutically or diagnostically useful shape, and at least one ultrashort laser pulse-formed modification in the surface. The network can, for example, include a network morphology that is substantially unchanged by modification with the ultrashort pulse laser. Ultrashort laser pulses can be laser pulses equal to or less than 1000 picoseconds in duration. Advantageously, the etching process uses a relatively low-heat laser to avoid significant heating of surrounding polymers while modifying the surface (and other structures) of the device. The process is configured so that the polymer chain morphology adjacent the modification is substantially unaffected by the low-heat laser. The resulting inflatable device has customized surface features while still retaining substantially homogenous polymer network morphology. This preserves the elasticity, especially the surface elasticity, of the inflatable device.

Methods of fabricating a heart valve delivery catheter

An expandable delivery sheath includes an elastic outer tubular layer and an inner tubular layer. The inner tubular layer include a thick wall portion integrally connected to a thin wall portion. The thin wall portion can include longitudinal reinforcing members/rods that facilitate unfolding during the passage of the implant, thus decreasing the push force and increasing the consistency of the push force. The inner tubular layer can have a non-expanded or folded condition wherein the thin wall portion folds onto an outer surface of the thick wall portion under urging of the elastic outer tubular layer. When an implant passes therethrough, the outer tubular layer stretches and the inner tubular layer unfolds into an expanded lumen diameter. Once the implant passes, the outer tubular layer again urges the inner tubular layer into the non-expanded condition with the sheath reassuming its smaller profile.

Expandable sheath with longitudinally extending reinforcing members

An implantable prosthetic valve assembly, according to one embodiment, comprises a frame assembly including a plurality of struts and a prosthetic valve secured inside the frame assembly by sutures. At least one of the plurality of spaced struts contains at least one hole that passes from one side of the at least one strut to another side of the at least one strut and a recess disposed around the hole.

Heart valve frame design with non-uniform struts

The methods and devices disclosed herein promote temporal control of balloon inflation patterns. The devices include a covering for a portion of the balloon that compresses the balloon portion during the inflation process. This enables the distal portion of a balloon to be inflated prior to the proximal portion of a balloon, creating a tapered shape at lower inflation pressures. This is especially useful during transvascular implantation procedures, as it prevents dislodgement of an implant mounted on the balloon. As inflation continues, pressure exerted on the balloon by the covering is overcome such that the proximal region of the balloon inflates, forming a shape with generally straighter sides than the tapered shape, thereby expanding the cardiovascular device.

Controlled balloon deployment

Methods of fabricating an inflatable balloon

An implantable prosthetic valve assembly, according to one embodiment, comprises a frame assembly including a plurality of struts and a prosthetic valve secured inside the frame assembly by sutures. The sutures are inward of the outermost surface of an outer periphery of the frame assembly. In certain embodiments the struts contain recesses in which sutures can be disposed. In other embodiments, the struts can have holes through them which the sutures pass through. The implantable prosthetic valve assembly can also be collapsed within a catheter such that an outermost surface of a periphery of the frame assembly touches the catheter but the sutures are spaced apart from the catheter or are flush with the outer surface of the frame.

Growing community of inventors

Irvine, CA, United States of America

Pu Zhou