Heart valve having an inner skirt with leaflet supports

Abstract

A prosthetic heart valve includes an expandable stent frame including struts arranged in a zig-zag pattern and leaflets supported within the frame. The leaflets allow blood to flow in only one direction through the frame for replacing the function of a native heart valve, wherein each leaflet has a downstream edge and a cusp edge with opposing side edges. An inner skirt is positioned inside the frame and includes leaflet supports extending from an upstream ring portion of the skirt. The leaflet supports taper in width in a direction extending from the upstream end portion of the frame toward the downstream end portion of the frame. Each leaflet support is disposed between and coupled to adjacent side edges of two adjacent leaflets.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A prosthetic heart valve, comprising:
 a radially expandable and compressible stent frame comprising a plurality of struts arranged in a zig-zag pattern to define a plurality of cells, the stent frame comprising an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion;   a plurality of leaflets disposed inside the frame and configured to regulate a flow of blood through the frame in one direction, each leaflet having a downstream edge and a cusp edge comprising opposing leaflet side edges; and   an inner skirt disposed inside the frame and comprising a plurality of leaflet supports extending from an upstream ring portion of the skirt;   wherein each of the leaflet supports tapers in width in a direction extending from the upstream end portion of the frame to the downstream end portion of the frame and wherein each leaflet support is disposed between and coupled to adjacent leaflet side edges of two adjacent leaflets of the plurality of leaflets.   
     
     
         2 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 1 , wherein each leaflet support has first and second window side edges, the first window side edge being coupled to a leaflet side edge of a first leaflet of the plurality of leaflets and the second window side edge being coupled to a leaflet side edge of a second leaflet of the plurality of leaflets. 
     
     
         3 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 2 , wherein the first window side edge is stitched to the leaflet side edge of the first leaflet and the second window side edge is stitched to the leaflet side edge of the second leaflet. 
     
     
         4 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second window side edges are generally complementary in shape to the leaflet side edges of the first and second leaflets. 
     
     
         5 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 1 , wherein the skirt is disposed between the stent frame and the leaflets. 
     
     
         6 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 1 , wherein each leaflet comprises opposing commissure tab portions, wherein the commissure tab portions of the leaflets are arranged to form commissures that are fixed relative to the frame. 
     
     
         7 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 6 , wherein each leaflet support extends from one of the commissures to the upstream ring portion of the skirt. 
     
     
         8 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 7 , wherein each leaflet support has a first width at a location adjacent the upstream ring portion of the skirt and a second width, smaller than the first width, at a location adjacent one of the commissures. 
     
     
         9 . A prosthetic heart valve, comprising:
 a radially expandable and compressible stent frame comprising a plurality of struts arranged in a zig-zag pattern to define a plurality of cells;   a valve body having an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner layer comprising a plurality of leaflets each having a downstream edge and a cusp edge and the outer layer configured as a skirt portion comprising a plurality of leaflet supports spaced apart around a circumference of the skirt portion; and   wherein each leaflet of the plurality of leaflets is coupled to two adjacent leaflet supports along the cusp edge of the leaflet.   
     
     
         10 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 9 , wherein each leaflet support is generally triangular in shape. 
     
     
         11 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 9 , wherein each leaflet support has a first and a second window side edge, the first window side edge being stitched to a first leaflet side edge of a first leaflet of the plurality of leaflets and the second window side edge being stitched to the second leaflet side edge of a second leaflet of the plurality of leaflets. 
     
     
         12 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 9 , wherein the outer layer is disposed between the stent frame and the inner layer. 
     
     
         13 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 9 , wherein the outer layer is disposed on an outer surface of the stent frame. 
     
     
         14 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 9 , wherein the outer layer is contiguous with the inner layer at an upstream end of the stent frame. 
     
     
         15 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 9 , wherein each leaflet support tapers in width in a direction from an upstream end of the stent frame to a downstream end of the stent frame. 
     
     
         16 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 9 , wherein the stent frame comprises a plurality of apices spaced apart from one another about a circumference of the stent frame at an upstream end of the stent frame, and wherein an upstream edge portion of the cusp edge of each leaflet of the plurality of leaflets extends between adjacent apices. 
     
     
         17 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 16 , wherein the upstream edge portion of each leaflet extends parallel to a plane intersecting the upstream end of the stent frame. 
     
     
         18 . A prosthetic heart valve, comprising:
 a radially expandable and compressible stent frame comprising a plurality of struts defining a plurality of cells arranged in a plurality of circumferentially-extending rows of cells, the stent frame comprising an upstream end portion and a downstream end portion, the upstream end portion comprising a plurality of apices spaced apart from one another about a circumference of the stent frame;   a valve body comprising three pericardium leaflets each having a downstream edge and a cusp edge, and a skirt portion comprising three leaflet supports extending from an upstream ring of the skirt portion, the leaflet supports being spaced apart around a circumference of the skirt portion and tapering in width in a direction extending from the upstream end portion of the stent frame to the downstream end portion of the stent frame;   wherein each leaflet is stitched to two adjacent leaflet supports along the cusp edge of the leaflet; and   wherein an upstream edge portion of the cusp edge of each leaflet extends between adjacent apices at the upstream end portion of the stent frame.   
     
     
         19 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 18 , wherein the skirt portion is disposed between the stent frame and the valve body. 
     
     
         20 . The prosthetic heart valve of  claim 18 , wherein the skirt portion defines three windows shaped to correspond to the shape of the leaflets.