Expandable member for deploying a prosthetic device

1. An apparatus for delivering a prosthetic heart valve through the vasculature of a patient comprising:

an elongate shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;

a radially expandable member disposed on the distal end of the shaft, the radially expandable member comprising a generally cylindrical expandable framework, one or more flexible leaflets, and a plurality of connecting struts coupled to the radially expandable member at attachment areas, wherein:

the radially expandable member comprises a distal end portion and a proximal end portion that are movable relative to one another between a first orientation and a second orientation;

in the first orientation the distal end and proximal end portions are a first distance apart, and in the second orientation the distal end and proximal end portions are a second distance apart, the second distance being less than the first distance; and

movement of the distal end and proximal end portions from the first orientation to the second orientation causes the radially expandable member to expand radially outwards from a first configuration to a second configuration;

a screw mechanism connected to the expandable framework of the expandable member;

an actuator that is coupled to the shaft; and

a gear mechanism connected to and positioned distally of the distal end of the shaft, and configured to transfer rotational movement of the actuator to the screw mechanism such that rotation of the actuator causes rotation of the screw mechanism, wherein the screw mechanism is separate from the actuator and operatively coupled to the actuator by the gear mechanism, and further wherein the rotation of the screw mechanism causes the distal end portion and proximal end portion to move from the first orientation to the second orientation, thereby radially expanding the expandable framework.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a DC motor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a knob.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the screw mechanism comprises a threaded rod engaged with a receptacle located on the distal end portion of the radially expandable member.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gear mechanism comprises a gear reduction mechanism coupled to the actuator.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the gear reduction mechanism is configured to increase the output torque of the actuator.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is positioned on or around an external handle member positioned at the proximal end of the shaft.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the actuator is configured to be manually rotated by a user.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the external handle comprises visual indicia indicating an amount of radial expansion of the radially expandable member.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the actuator is positioned at the distal end of the shaft.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the screw mechanism is configured to apply a first longitudinal force to the proximal end portion of the expandable framework and a second longitudinal force to the distal end portion of the expandable framework upon rotation of the screw mechanism, wherein when the screw mechanism is rotated in a first direction, the first longitudinal force and the second longitudinal force extend in respective directions toward each other and cause the expandable framework to radially expand, and wherein when the screw mechanism is rotated in a second direction, opposite the first direction, the first longitudinal force and the second longitudinal force extend in respective directions away from each other and cause the expandable framework to radially collapse.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a wire member connected to the connecting struts, such that the radially expandable member is released by pulling the wire member in a proximal direction.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an external handle member positioned at the proximal end of the shaft, the handle member comprising visual indicia corresponding to an amount of radial expansion of the expandable member.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the screw mechanism is configured such that when the screw mechanism is rotated in a first direction, the rotation in the first direction causes the expandable framework to radially expand, and when the screw mechanism is rotated in a second direction, opposite the first direction, the rotation in the second direction causes the expandable framework to radially collapse.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gear mechanism is configured to receive an input torque from the actuator and to rotate the screw mechanism at an output torque different than the input torque.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gear mechanism is configured to receive an input speed from the actuator and to rotate the screw mechanism at an output speed different than the input speed.