St. Jude Medical, Cardiology Division, Inc.

Ryan Finn

Brandon Moore

Jay Reimer

Daniel J Klima

Peter J Ness

Kristopher Henry Vietmeier

Michael Shane Morrissey

Keith T High

Chad Joshua Green

Caytlin Gale

Jeffrey Paul LaPlante

Richard Kaleta

Noy Grimmer

Emily M Hagen

Henrique Oliveira Neder

Henrique Neder

A delivery device for a collapsible prosthetic heart valve includes an inner shaft, an outer shaft, and a distal sheath. The distal sheath may be disposed distal to the outer shaft and about a portion of the inner shaft to form a compartment with the inner shaft, the compartment being sized to receive the prosthetic heart valve in a collapsed condition. The inner shaft and the distal sheath may be movable relative to one another. The delivery device may also include a tube member and an outer sleeve overlying the tube member. The tube member may be configured to rotate or twist upon axial movement of the outer sleeve with respect to the tube member, the rotation or twisting of the tube member configured to rotate the prosthetic heart valve when the prosthetic heart valve is received within the compartment in the collapsed condition.

Active alignment of commissures in prosthetic heart valve implantation

A prosthetic heart valve includes a non-collapsible annular frame extending in a longitudinal direction between an inflow edge and an outflow edge, and a valve assembly connected to the frame. The frame includes a plurality of annularly spaced commissure posts adjacent the outflow edge, each of the commissure posts including a tip and a post slot spaced apart from the tip. The prosthetic heart valve further includes a radiopaque element including an elongated main body having a first end and a second end. The radiopaque element may extend around the tip and through the post slot of at least one of the commissure posts so that a portion of the main body extends between the slot and the tip. Alternatively or additionally, a radiopaque element may be positioned adjacent a base of the frame.

Prosthetic heart valve with radiopaque elements

A delivery device for a collapsible prosthetic heart valve includes an inner shaft, an outer shaft, and a distal sheath. The distal sheath may be disposed distal to the outer shaft and about a portion of the inner shaft to form a compartment with the inner shaft. The compartment may be sized to receive the prosthetic heart valve. The inner shaft and the distal sheath may be movable relative to one another. A spine may extend along the outer shaft, the spine biasing the outer shaft so that the outer shaft tends to bend in a pre-determined direction.

Passive alignment of commissures in prosthetic heart valve implantation

An assembly for collapsing a prosthetic heart valve includes a compression member having a plurality of arms pivotable between a first orientation in which side edges of adjacent arms are spaced apart from one another and a second orientation in which the adjacent arms contact one another. A translating member is movable along the arms to pivot the arms from the first orientation to the second orientation to collapse the prosthetic heart valve. A separation tool includes ribs defining channels sized to receive the struts of a stent of a prosthetic heart valve to keep the struts separated from one another as the prosthetic heart valve is collapsed.

Apparatus and methods for improved loading of a transcatheter heart valve

A delivery system has a delivery capsule with a detachable portion including first and second open ends with a tapered wall extending therebetween to compress and guide a collapsible heart valve into the delivery capsule. The detachable portion may be detached from the delivery capsule after loading the collapsible heart valve to leave a smooth distal surface on the delivery capsule. Detachment of the detachable portion may occur by breaking or removing a frangible member interposed between the detachable portion and the delivery capsule.

Delivery system and method for loading a self-expanding collapsible heart valve

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Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Ryan Finn