Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Assembly with Integrated Imager
A transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) delivery system includes a sheath, a replacement valve assembly disposed within a distal end of the sheath, and a nose cone proximate the distal end of the sheath. A forward section of the nose cone is configured to facilitate passage of the nose cone through the heart valve. The rear section of the nose cone comprises an imager.
1 . A transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system comprising:
a sheath;
a replacement valve assembly disposed within a distal end of the sheath; and
a nose cone proximate the distal end of the sheath, wherein a forward section of the nose cone is configured to facilitate passage of the nose cone through the heart valve, and the rear section of the nose cone comprises an imager.
2 . The TAVI system of claim 1 , wherein the imager is a backward facing imager that facilitates viewing of the heart valve after the nose cone has passed through the heart valve and the sheath is pulled back.
3 . The TAVI system of claim 1 , wherein the imager is an ultrasonic imaging device.
4 . The TAVI system of claim 1 , wherein the imager comprises a backward-looking 2D array of transducer elements.
5 . The TAVI system of claim 4 , wherein the transducer elements are piezoelectric transducer (PZT) elements, capacitive micro machined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) elements or piezoelectric micro machined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) elements.
6 . The TAVI system according to claim 1 , further comprising a guide wire that extends through the sheath and to the nose cone.
7 . The TAVI delivery system according to claim 1 , wherein the forward section of the nose cone is tapered.
8 . A nose cone for a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system comprising:
a forward section configured to facilitate passage of the nose cone through the heart valve; and
a rear section that comprises an imager.
9 . The nose cone of claim 8 , wherein the imager is a backward facing imager that facilitates viewing of a heart valve when the nose cone passes through the heart valve.
10 . The nose cone of claim 8 , wherein the imager is an ultrasonic imaging device.
11 . The nose cone of claim 8 , wherein the imager comprises a backward-looking 2D array of transducer elements.
12 . The nose cone of claim 11 , wherein the transducers are piezoelectric transducer (PZT) elements, capacitive micro machined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) elements or piezoelectric micro machined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) elements.
13 . The nose cone according to claim 8 , wherein the nose cone is mounted to an end of a guide wire that extends through a sheath.
14 . The nose cone according to claim 8 , wherein the forward section of the nose cone is tapere