Prosthetic valve delivery system including retrograde/antegrade approach

1. An access system for implanting an expandable heart valve prosthesis at an aortic valve annulus in a patient's heart, the access system comprising:

a transthoracic access port, including one or more hemostasis valves or seals, that are configured to be used at or near an opening in a left ventricle, and

a second port, including one or more hemostasis valves or seals, that are configured to be used at or near an aortic wall opening;

a guidewire having a sufficient size and length to extend through a first opening in the patient's body, through the opening in the patient's aortic wall, through the patient's aorta, through the valve annulus in the patient's heart, through the opening in the left ventricle at or near an apex of the patient's heart, and through an opening in the patient's thoracoabdominal region, the guidewire being structurally continuous and having a sufficient length to extend continuously between the transthoracic access port and the second port;

a first module configured for retrograde delivery along the guidewire through the first opening and through the aortic wall opening toward the valve annulus; and

a second module, not mechanically coupled to the first module, the second module configured for antegrade delivery along the guidewire through the thoracoabdominal region opening and the opening in the ventricle toward the valve annulus;

wherein the first or second module is selected from a group consisting of a ballooning module, a leaflet cutting or removal module, an annulus sizing module, an expandable valve prosthesis module, a pump module, and a debris catching module.

2. The access system of claim 1 , wherein the leaflet cutting or removal module comprises a rigid portion having an actuator exerting sufficient force to cut through a calcified leaflet.

3. The access system of claim 1 , wherein the guidewire is a stylet.

4. The access system of claim 1 , wherein the modules can be delivered to the target location within the heart using either of an antegrade approach or a retrograde approach.

5. The access system of claim 1 , wherein the guidewire is bendable and steerable.

6. The access system of claim 5 in which the guidewire is reversibly lockable.

7. The access system of claim 1 , wherein the transthoracic access port is selected from a group comprising: an introducer, a trocar and a cannula.

8. The access system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first or second module includes an imaging system to view all or a portion of a procedure.

9. The access system of claim 8 , wherein the imaging system includes a device selected from the group comprising: a transesophogeal echo, transthoracic echo, intravascular ultrasound imaging, and/or a radiopaque dye or contrast fluid.

10. The access system of claim 9 , wherein the imaging system also includes an optical viewing device.

11. The access system of claim 1 , wherein the first module comprises a leaflet cutter and the second module comprises an expandable prosthetic heart valve contained within a delivery sheath.

12. The access system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second modules includes at least one pump for assisting in maintaining the patient's hemodynamic flow, with the at least one pump being positionable at various locations along the guidewire.

13. An access system for implanting an expandable heart valve prosthesis at an aortic valve annulus in a patient's heart, the access system comprising:

a guidewire having a sufficient size and length to extend through a first opening in the patient's body, through an opening or slit in the patient's aortic wall, through the patient's aorta, through the valve annulus in the patient's heart, through an opening in a left ventricle at or near the apex of the patient's heart, and through an opening in the patient's thoracoabdominal region, the guidewire being structurally continuous;

a first module configured for retrograde delivery along the guidewire through the first opening and through the aortic wall opening toward the valve annulus; and

a second module, not mechanically coupled to the first module, the second module configured for antegrade delivery along the guidewire through the thoracoabdominal region opening and the opening in the ventricle toward the valve annulus;

and

a transthoracic access port, including one or more hemostasis valves or seals, that are configured to be used at or near the ventricle opening, and

a second port, including one or more hemostasis valves or seals, that are configured to be used at or near the aortic wall opening;

wherein the first or second module is selected from a group consisting of a ballooning module, a leaflet cutting or removal module, an annulus sizing module, an expandable valve prosthesis module, a pump module, and a debris catching module, wherein the first module includes a top portion of the leaflet cutting or removal module and the second module includes a bottom portion of the leaflet cutting or removal module, wherein the top and bottom portions can be guided to and meet at the valve annulus to perform a cutting and removal operation.

14. An access system for implanting an expandable heart valve prosthesis at an aortic valve annulus in a patient's heart, the access system comprising:

a guidewire having a sufficient size and length to extend through a first opening in the patient's thoracoabdominal region, through an opening in a left ventricle at or near the apex of the heart, through the aortic valve annulus, through an opening or slit in the patient's aortic wall, and through an opening in the patient's body at or near the aorta, the guidewire being structurally continuous;

a first module configured for retrograde delivery along the guidewire through the first opening and the aortic wall opening toward the valve annulus;

a second module, not mechanically coupled to the first module, the second module configured for antegrade delivery along the guidewire through the thoracoabdominal region opening and the opening in the ventricle toward the valve annulus,

wherein the first or second module is selected from a group consisting of a ballooning module, a leaflet cutting or removal module, an annulus sizing module, an expandable valve prosthesis module, a pump module and a debris catching module; and

a transthoracic access port, including one or more hemostasis valves or seals, that are configured to be used at or near the ventricular opening, and a second port, including one or more hemostasis valves or seals, that are configured to be used at or near the aortic wall opening.