Transcatheter valve laceration device and method
A transcatheter valve laceration device includes a leaflet support frame and a leaflet cutting assembly, both of which are movably mounted on a guiding structure and movable between contracted and expanded orientations. In the expanded orientation, a blade protector of the leaflet support frame is positioned over a cutting element of the leaflet cutting assembly.
1 . A method for lacerating heart tissue comprising:
using a device that comprises a leaflet support frame and a leaflet cutting assembly, both of which are movably mounted on a guiding structure and movable between contracted and expanded orientations, wherein said leaflet cutting assembly comprises a cutting element that comprises a sharp blade arm that has a pointed sharp tip at a distal end of said sharp blade arm, and a blade actuator arm pivotally coupled to said sharp blade arm, wherein in the expanded orientation, a blade protector of said leaflet support frame is positioned over said pointed sharp tip of said cutting element of said leaflet cutting assembly,
introducing said device with said leaflet support frame and said leaflet cutting assembly in contracted orientations to a heart;
expanding said leaflet support frame;
expanding said leaflet cutting assembly; and
moving said leaflet cutting assembly to lacerate heart tissue located between said cutting element and said blade protector.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising first piercing said heart tissue with said pointed sharp tip of said cutting element of said leaflet cutting assembly prior to moving said leaflet cutting assembly to lacerate the heart tissue.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , comprising lacerating the heart tissue in a mitral anterior leaflet laceration procedure as part of a transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) procedure to prevent LVOT (left ventricle outflow tunnel) obstruction when an implant valve is positioned within a native valve of a patient.
4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said heart tissue comprises tissue of a mitral valve.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein expanding said leaflet cutting assembly comprises one end of said blade actuator arm pivoting with respect to said guiding structure and an opposite end of said blade actuator arm pivoting with respect to said sharp blade arm proximal to said pointed sharp tip.