Prosthetic heart valve with cusp positioners

Abstract

A prosthetic heart valve has three cusp regions positioned at an inflow end intermediate three commissure regions positioned at an outflow end thereof. A support frame including three cusp positioners is fixed with respect to a leaflet frame and located intermediate each pair of adjacent commissure regions. The valve is desirably compressible. In the aortic valve position, the cusp positioners angle outward into contact with the sinus cavities, and compress the native leaflets if they are not excised, or the aortic wall if they are.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for replacing an aortic valve in need thereof, the method comprising:
 sizing an annulus of a native aortic valve;   selecting a correctly sized prosthetic aortic valve;   compressing a diameter of the prosthetic aortic valve;   disposing the prosthetic aortic valve around an inflation balloon;   excising native leaflets from a native aortic valve;   balloon expanding the prosthetic aortic valve within an annulus of the native aortic valve;   contacting a wall of each aortic valve sinus with a nitinol cusp positioner of the prosthetic aortic valve, each cusp positioner comprising two legs, an apex, and a sinusoidal portion; and   contacting the annulus of the native aortic valve with a covering of the prosthetic aortic valve, thereby replacing the native aortic valve,   wherein the prosthetic aortic valve is frictionally held in place without any anchoring suture.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising allowing the prosthetic aortic valve to self-expand. 
     
     
         3 . A method for replacing a native aortic valve in need thereof, the method comprising:
 excising native leaflets from a native aortic valve; and   frictionally contacting a wall of each aortic valve sinus with a cusp positioner of the prosthetic aortic valve, thereby replacing the native aortic valve.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein friction holds the prosthetic aortic valve in place without any anchoring suture. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising anchoring the prosthetic aortic valve with suture. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein contacting the wall of each aortic valve sinus includes radially expanding a prosthetic aortic valve comprising three cusp positioners, each cusp positioner comprising two legs and an apex. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein contacting the wall of each aortic valve sinus with the cusp positioner includes contacting a wall of each aortic valve sinus with a cusp positioner comprising a sinusoidal portion. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein contacting the wall of each aortic valve sinus with the cusp positioner includes contacting a wall of each aortic valve sinus with a nitinol cusp positioner. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein contacting a wall of each aortic valve sinus includes balloon expanding the prosthetic aortic valve. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein contacting a wall of each aortic valve sinus includes allowing the prosthetic aortic valve to self-expand. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising contacting an annulus of the native aortic valve with a covering of the prosthetic aortic valve. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the covering is a cloth covering. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising sizing an annulus of the native aortic valve. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising selecting the correctly sized prosthetic aortic valve. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising compressing a diameter of the prosthetic aortic valve. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising disposing the prosthetic aortic valve around an inflation balloon.