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(11) | EP 2 455 041 A8 |
(12) | CORRECTED EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
Note: Bibliography reflects the latest situation |
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(54) | Collapsible/expandable prosthetic heart valves with non-expanding stent posts and retrieval features |
(57) A frame structure for a collapsible and re-expandable prosthetic heart valve. The
frame structure includes an annular annulus portion that is configured for implanting
in or near a patient's native heart valve annulus. This annulus portion of the frame
structure may include a plurality of annularly spaced Commissure post structures interconnected
by connecting structures. The commissure post structures may be more resistant to
annular collapse than the connecting structures. In the case of a prosthetic aortic
valve, the frame structure may also include an annular aortic portion. The aortic
portion may include a plurality of attachment points (for tethers) closest to the
annulus portion. Such attachment points and tethers can facilitate re-collapse of
a partly deployed valve in the event of a need to reposition or remove the valve.
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