Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
Steerable assembly for delivering a prosthetic heart valve

Abstract:

An assembly for delivering a prosthetic heart valve to a native heart valve is disclosed. The assembly includes a self-expanding prosthetic heart valve formed with an expandable metallic stent and a flexible valvular structure. The assembly also includes a delivery apparatus having a delivery sleeve. The delivery sleeve includes a selectively steerable section and a distal portion for retaining the prosthetic heart valve in a compressed state. A handle is coupled to a proximal end of the delivery sleeve and a pull wire extends from the handle to the steerable section of the delivery sleeve. The handle preferably includes a rotatable portion for actuating the pull wire and thereby selectively controlling a curvature of the steerable section during advancement through the patient's vasculature. In preferred embodiments, the steerable section includes a flexible metallic tubular portion formed with a plurality of circumferentially extending openings.