Suture guard for a prosthetic valve
A system can include a prosthetic heart valve having a commissure post configured to receive a first portion of a fiber and a suture support configured to engage with the prosthetic heart valve. The suture support can include a first portion to interface with an inflow side of the prosthetic heart valve and a fiber holding portion to receive a second portion of the fiber. A second portion of the suture support can be coupled to the first portion of the suture guard and be movable inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard to transform the fiber from a non-tensioned state to a tensioned state. The fiber in the tensioned state can cause the commissure post to bend inward toward a longitudinal axis of the prosthetic heart valve.
1. A system comprising:
a prosthetic heart valve comprising a commissure post configured to receive a first portion of a fiber; and
a suture guard configured to engage with the prosthetic heart valve, the suture guard comprising:
a first portion configured to interface with and be disposed within an inflow side of the prosthetic heart valve and comprising a fiber holding portion configured to receive a second portion of the fiber; and
a second portion being configured to be coupled to the first portion of the suture guard and disposed below the first portion to provide at least a portion of the first portion between the prosthetic heart valve and the second portion, and to be movable inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard to transform the fiber from a non-tensioned state to a tensioned state, the fiber in the tensioned state being configured to cause the commissure post to bend inward toward a longitudinal axis of the prosthetic heart valve.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the suture guard is configured to interface with and slidably receive the fiber, and movement of the second portion of the suture guard inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard is configured to pull on the fiber to provide the fiber in the tensioned state.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein movement of the second portion of the suture guard inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard is configured to withdraw the fiber inwardly toward the second portion of the suture guard to provide the fiber in the tensioned state.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein movement of the second portion of the suture guard inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard comprises a linear motion.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the second portion of the suture guard is configured to be pressed into the first portion of the suture guard to move the second portion of the suture guard inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fiber is configured to be routed along a side of the commissure post and to remain on an outer diameter of the prosthetic heart valve.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fiber holding portion is at a perimeter of the first portion of the suture guard and comprises an opening configured to allow the fiber to be threaded through.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fiber holding portion is configured to be seated against a base of the prosthetic heart valve and aligned with the commissure post.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the prosthetic heart valve comprises a plurality of commissure posts; and
the first portion of the suture guard comprises a plurality of fiber holding portions and a plurality of supports, each fiber holding portion being configured to receive a respective fiber portion and each support being configured to interface with an internal portion of a respective commissure post to structurally support the respective commissure post while the respective commissure post is bent inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of the prosthetic heart valve.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein a single fiber is routed through the plurality of fiber holding portions.
11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an atraumatic dome configured to be arranged within an outflow section of the prosthetic heart valve and to interface with the first portion of the suture guard.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the suture guard is coupled to the first portion of the suture guard via a snap-fit connection.
13. A system comprising:
a prosthetic heart valve comprising a commissure post; and
a suture guard configured to receive a fiber and to interface with and be disposed within an internal portion of the commissure post of the prosthetic heart valve, the suture guard being configured to assume an initial configuration and a shortened configuration, the fiber being configured to assume a tensioned state while the suture guard is in the shortened configuration, the fiber in the tensioned state being configured to deflect the commissure post inward toward a longitudinal axis of the prosthetic heart valve.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the fiber is configured to be routed through the suture support and along a side of the commissure post and to remain on an outer diameter of the prosthetic heart valve, the fiber being configured to engage with and deflect the commissure post while in the tensioned state.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the suture support comprises a first portion and a second portion, the second portion being configured to be movable inwardly toward the first portion to provide the shortened configuration.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein a portion of the fiber is configured to be slidably received inside the second portion of the suture guard, and movement of the second portion of the suture guard inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard pulls on the fiber to provide the fiber in the tensioned state.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein:
the prosthetic heart valve is a three-leaflet prosthetic heart valve comprising three commissure posts; and
the first portion of the suture guard comprises three fiber holding portions and three supports, each fiber holding portion being configured to be aligned with a respective commissure post and receive a respective fiber portion, and each support being configured to interface with a respective commissure post to structurally support the respective commissure post while the respective commissure post is deflected inwardly toward the longitudinal axis of the prosthetic heart valve.
18. The system of claim 17 , further comprising three fibers, each of the three fibers comprising respective portions being configured to be threaded through a first respective fiber holding portion, routed along a side of a commissure post on an outer diameter of the prosthetic heart valve, along a side of another commissure post on the outer diameter of the prosthetic heart valve, and slidably received within the second portion of the suture guard.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the second portion of the suture guard comprises a plurality of prong structures configured to interface with the first portion of the suture guard and each of the fibers to apply tension the each of the fibers.
20. A system comprising:
a prosthetic heart valve comprising a commissure post configured to receive a first portion of a fiber; and
a suture guard configured to engage with the prosthetic heart valve, the suture guard comprising:
a first portion configured to interface with an inflow side of the prosthetic heart valve and comprising a fiber holding portion configured to receive a second portion of the fiber; and
a second portion being configured to be coupled to the first portion of the suture guard and to be movable inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard to transform the fiber from a non-tensioned state to a tensioned state, the fiber in the tensioned state being configured to cause the commissure post to bend inward toward a longitudinal axis of the prosthetic heart valve,
wherein movement of the second portion of the suture guard inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard comprises a linear motion and the second portion of the suture guard is configured to be pressed into the first portion of the suture guard to move the second portion of the suture guard inwardly toward the first portion of the suture guard.