A heart valve implant according to one embodiment may include a shaft and an anchor disposed on one end of the shaft, the anchor configured to engage tissue. The heart valve implant may further include an expandable member disposed over at least part of the shaft, the expandable member comprising a resiliently deformable internal layer and a resiliently deformable external layer disposed over the internal layer, the expandable member defining a chamber and being configured to receive an inflation medium in the chamber to expand the expandable member, the expandable member further configured to deform upon contact with at least a portion of at least one leaflet of a heart valve to at least partially conform to the shape of the leaflet.

Claims

11 · 1 independent · depth 2

11 granted claims

›1.independentA heart valve implant comprising:na shaft;an anchor coupled to one end of the shaft, the anchor configured to secure the heart valve implant to a pati…+10

›2.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the resiliently external layer is constructed out of a high silicone content, polyurethane copol…d2

›3.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the inflation medium is selected from the group comprising at least one of a gas, liquid, gel, a…d2

›4.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the expandable member is further configured to receive a hardening gel.d2

›5.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the expandable member is controllably expandable to expand the member to a selectable cross-sect…d2

›6.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the expandable member is expanded to a shape selected from the group consisting of round, pear-s…d2

›7.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the expandable member is removably attached to the shaft.d2

›8.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the expandable member is slidably coupled to the shaft.d2

›9.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the expandable member is configured to determine the distance between a first leaflet and a seco…d2

›10.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting member removably coupled to the shaft.d2

›11.↳ 1The heart valve implant according to claim 1, wherein the shaft includes an adjustment mechanism configured to permit the axial movement of the expand…d2

Classifications

2 codes

IPC · International Patent Classification

Section A — Human necessities

A61F2/24

USPC · US Patent Classification

623/2.11

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File wrapper

Pendency

5.9 y

2,171 days filing → grant

Office actions

after a restriction

Responses

3 RCE

Examiner

Christina Lauer

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1 priority documents

›Priority documents — 1

Type	Document	Date
related publication	US 20070255399 A1	1 Nov 2007

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