Force-based heart valve sizer

US9345574B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-9345574-B2
Application numberUS-201213707395-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateDec 6, 2012
Priority dateDec 9, 2011
Publication dateMay 24, 2016
Grant dateMay 24, 2016

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A valve sizer for determining an appropriate replacement valve size when performing a heart valve replacement procedure is provided. In one version the valve sizer has a hollow shaft with proximal and distal ends. A movable sizing element couples to the distal end of the shaft and is radially expandable between first, contracted and second, expanded positions. An actuator assembly on a handle includes an actuator coupled to a clutch member via a ball-spring-detent clutch. A rod extends through the shaft and maintains a fixed distance between the handle and a distal hub in the sizing element. Movement of the actuator causes axial movement of the shaft, thereby causing radial expansion of sizing petals relative to the hub. The clutch slips when a predetermined reaction force from the surrounding valve annulus is met by the petals.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

I claim: 1. A method of sizing a patient's cardiac valve annulus, comprising: providing a valve sizer having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end and an expandable sizing element coupled to the distal end of the shaft, the sizing element being radially expandable between a first retracted position and a second expanded position, the valve sizer further having an actuator assembly comprising an actuator that moves relative to a handle, a clutch ring mounted at the proximal…

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Next steps

Free tools are coming soon. Tell us what you want to track and we'll notify you.

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US9345574B2 cover?
A valve sizer for determining an appropriate replacement valve size when performing a heart valve replacement procedure is provided. In one version the valve sizer has a hollow shaft with proximal and distal ends. A movable sizing element couples to the distal end of the shaft and is radially expandable between first, contracted and second, expanded positions. An actuator assembly on a handle i…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Edwards Lifesciences Corp
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification A61F2/2496. Mapped technology areas include Human Necessities.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue May 24 2016 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).