Device for suture attachment for minimally invasive heart valve repair

1. A suture attachment catheter configured to repair a heart valve by inserting a suture in a valve leaflet of a beating heart of a patient, comprising:

a generally flexible catheter body having a proximal end, a distal end, and a length greater than 100 cm;

a suture attachment assembly operably attached to the distal end of the catheter body, the suture attachment assembly including:

a rail defining a portion of a clamping jaw;

a distal clamping jaw hingedly operably attached to the rail; and

a proximal clamping jaw operably attached to the rail,

wherein the rail enables at least one of the proximal clamping jaw and the distal clamping jaw to be selectively slideable with respect to the other of the proximal clamping jaw and the distal clamping jaw to adjust a distance between the proximal clamping jaw and the distal clamping jaw of the clamping jaw;

a needle selectively slideable within the catheter body, the needle configured to penetrate a valve leaflet to insert a suture through the valve leaflet when the valve leaflet is captured between the proximal clamping jaw and the distal clamping jaw; and

a control handle operably attached to the proximal end of the catheter body, the control handle including:

a steering mechanism operably connected to the catheter body to selectively steer the distal end of the catheter body;

a jaw actuator operably connected to the clamping jaw; and

a needle actuator operably connected to the needle.

2. The suture attachment catheter of claim 1 , wherein the distal clamping jaw is configured to pivot between a first position with respect to the rail and a second position with respect to the rail.

3. The suture attachment catheter of claim 2 , wherein in the first position the distal clamping jaw is aligned generally longitudinally with respect to the rail and in the second position the distal clamping jaw is aligned generally transverse to the rail.

4. The suture attachment catheter of claim 3 , wherein in the first position the distal clamping jaw is aligned at an obtuse angle with respect to the rail and in the second position the distal clamping jaw is aligned at an acute angle with respect to the rail.

5. The suture attachment catheter of claim 2 , wherein the distal clamping jaw is pivoted with respect to the rail by actuation of a distal jaw control on the control handle.

6. The suture attachment catheter of claim 5 , wherein the distal jaw control selectively moves a flexible member extending from the distal jaw control through the catheter body to the distal clamping jaw to pivot the distal clamping jaw.

7. The suture attachment catheter of claim 6 , wherein the flexible member comprises a wire.

8. The suture attachment catheter of claim 1 , further comprising a suture configured to be retrieved by the needle.

9. The suture attachment catheter of claim 8 , wherein the distal clamping jaw includes one or more suture attachment features that retain the suture under tension on the distal clamping jaw in position to be caught by the needle.

10. The suture attachment catheter of claim 1 , wherein the suture attachment assembly is less flexible than the catheter body.

11. The suture attachment catheter of claim 1 , wherein the suture attachment catheter is configured for insertion into a left atrium of the patient's heart via a vasculature access to a right atrium of the beating heart of the patient and a transeptal access between the right atrium and a left atrium of the beating heart of the patient.

12. The suture attachment catheter of claim 1 , wherein the distal clamping jaw is selectively slideable with respect to the proximal clamping jaw by sliding the rail within a channel in the proximal clamping jaw with the jaw actuator.

13. The suture attachment catheter of claim 12 , further comprising a rail lock disposed in the channel, the rail lock configured to prevent the rail from being slid distally entirely out of the channel.

14. The suture attachment catheter of claim 12 , where the proximal jaw is longitudinally stationary with respect to the catheter body.

15. The suture attachment catheter of claim 1 , wherein the proximal clamping jaw is selectively manually slideable with respect to the distal clamping jaw.

16. The suture attachment catheter of claim 1 , wherein the proximal clamping jaw is slideable by sliding the proximal clamping jaw along the rail with the jaw actuator.

17. The suture attachment catheter of claim 1 , further comprising a wire loop extending from one of the proximal clamping jaw and the distal clamping jaw, the wire loop configured to effectively increase a capture area of the one of the proximal clamping jaw and the distal clamping jaw from which the wire loop extends.

18. The suture attachment catheter of claim 17 , wherein the wire loop extends from the proximal clamping jaw.

19. The suture attachment catheter of claim 17 , wherein the wire loop is configured to automatically transition from a collapsed position to an expanded position when the one of the proximal clamping jaw and the distal clamping jaw is extended out of a delivery catheter.