Alternate Stent CAF Design for TAVR

Abstract

A prosthetic heart valve includes a stent extending in a longitudinal direction and having a collapsed condition and an expanded condition. The stent includes a plurality of struts forming cells and a plurality of commissure attachment features spaced apart in an annular direction of the stent and extending in a medial direction of the stent. A valve assembly is secured to the commissure attachment features, the valve assembly including a cuff and a plurality of leaflets, each of the leaflets having a free edge and being capable of alternating between an open position and a closed position. A method of manufacturing the prosthetic heart valve is also provided.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method of manufacturing a prosthetic heart valve, the method comprising:
 cutting a tubular material to form a stent, the stent extending in a longitudinal direction and having a collapsed condition and an expanded condition, the stent including a plurality of struts forming cells and a plurality of commissure attachment features spaced apart from one another in an annular direction of the stent;   bending each of the commissure attachment features about an axis from a first orientation to a second orientation different from the first orientation; and   coupling a valve assembly to the commissure attachment features, the valve assembly including a cuff and a plurality of leaflets, each of the leaflets having a free edge and being capable of alternating between an open position and a closed position.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first orientation is an annular direction of the stent and the second orientation is a radial direction of the stent. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the coupling step includes suturing each commissure formed by adjacent ones of the leaflets to a respective one of the commissure attachment features. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein each of the commissure attachment features includes an eyelet. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the eyelet is spaced in the radial direction from a luminal surface of the stent. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the suturing step includes piercing a suture through the cuff and through the eyelet of the respective one of the commissure attachment features. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising suturing a belly of each one of the leaflets to the cuff and the stent. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the suturing step includes suturing the adjacent ones of the leaflets to each other. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the coupling step includes attaching each commissure formed by adjacent ones of the leaflets to a respective one of the commissure attachment features at a position spaced radially inward from the stent. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the tubular material is nitinol. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising heat setting the nitinol after the bending step. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each of the commissure attachment features is attached to select ones of the struts and, after the bending step, has a thickness in the annular direction and a width extending from the select ones of the struts in the radial direction of the stent toward a longitudinal axis of the stent, the width being greater than the thickness. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the width of each of the commissure attachment features in the radial direction is about 3.0 mm or less. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each of the commissure attachment features includes a side attached to the stent and an arcuate edge extending between a distal end of the side and a proximal end of the arcuate edge spaced in the radial direction from the stent. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the tubular material is placed around a mandrel prior to the cutting step. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the stent has a circumference and, prior to the bending step, each of the commissure attachment features lies within the circumference. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the cutting step forms three of the commissure attachment features. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the cutting step forms the cells in a plurality of annular rows about the stent, and each of the commissure attachment features is disposed in a predetermined one of the annular rows. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the predetermined one of the annular rows is in an annulus section of the stent. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each of the commissure attachment features includes an eyelet, and the coupling step includes suturing the cuff to the plurality of commissure attachment features.