The present disclosure relates generally to an adjustment assembly for axial adjustment of an implant within a human heart for restoring and improving physiologic intracardiac flow and utilizing native force via force transduction.
An implant system for restoring and improving physiological intracardiac flow in a human heart is provided including an implant for positioning at least partially within a human heart; a therapeutic force transferring and re-purposing apical base plate assembly attachable to the apex of the heart; a force transferring tether or shaft assembly comprising a tether or shaft connected between the therapeutic apical base plate assembly and the adjustment assembly; and an adjustment assembly connected to the tether assembly to permit longitudinal movement of the tether or shaft assembly and a distal implant relative to the base plate assembly. In effect, the tether or shaft and the base plate form a platform system for the delivery and re-purposing of native energy and force and the conversion of that energy and force into a restorative therapy.
In some embodiments, wherein the adjustment assembly includes a piston and/or a chamber and/or a piston in a chamber connected to the force transferring tether or shaft assembly. In some embodiments, the adjustment assembly maintains the longitudinal position of the piston until a pre-set force is exceeded by a native or external force in or of the heart. In some embodiments, the adjustment assembly provides controllable longitudinal movement of the piston.
In some embodiments, the adjustment assembly includes at least one of a spring, fluidic valving, mechanical valving, electrical valving, and magnetic valving.
In some embodiments, the adjustment assembly includes a fluid-filled body, wherein the piston is longitudinally moveable within the body and defines a fluid reservoir on each side of the piston. The longitudinal position of the piston can be adjustable by varying relative pressure in the fluid reservoirs.
The objects, features and advantages of the devices, systems, and methods described herein will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the devices, systems, and methods described herein.
One of the features of healthy heart function is proper physiological intracardiac flow. The atrioventricular pressure gradient, a force within a human heart, is defined as the pressure difference (or a pressure differential) that produces or generates energy and force within the chambers of the heart that occurs naturally. As the pressure increases in the atrium and the pressure reduces in the ventricle, called the diastolic phase or diastole, blood flows from the higher pressure atrium into the lower pressure ventricle causing the valve leaflets to open and thus allowing the blood to pass through the valve orifice. During the systolic phase or systole, the pressure in the atrium is exceeded by the pressure in the ventricle thereby generating a pressure differential creating an energy and force which, in turn, pushes up and against the valve leaflets causing them to close and seal off the ventricle from the atrial chamber. The atrioventricular pressure gradient is the driving energy and force required to close the valve. During systolic ventricular contraction, the considerable forces of the atrioventricular pressure gradient are exerted on the closed atrial/ventricular valve. Very importantly, these forces are transferred or transducted via the chordae tendinae and papillary muscles to and into the ventricular and septal walls. There is a resulting valvulo-ventricular wall interaction, which provides and enables the healthy ventricle to maintain structural integrity, to maintain healthy elliptical geometry, and provides functional support and structural stability for consistent healthy blood ejection. During ventricular diastole, the ventricular pressure rapidly decreases. The valve opens and blood rushes from the atrium into the ventricle through the valve orifice. The healthy valve leaflets function as a vector or steering mechanism, directing ventricular flow at an angle or vector to create vortical initial spin as illustrated in
In accordance with the disclosed subject matter, a flow vectoring member is implanted in the atrio-ventriclar space of the heart. It is connected to a tether or shaft anchored at the apex, and extends through the valve orifice into the atrium. When the ventricle contracts in systole, the member captures and harnesses the valvular and sub valvular energy and force of the atrioventricular pressure gradient by allowing the pressure differential to act on the exposed area of the member (meaning the valve leaflets and subvalvular apparatus seal and ‘grab’ onto the member). This transfers or transducts that energy and force, the atrioventricular gradient energy and force captured by the member, to the therapeutic force transferring apical base plate on and in contact with the apex, via the tethering conduit or shaft. When the ventricle relaxes in diastole, releasing the member, the structure and features of the flow vectoring member intercepts atrial blood and re-vectors it by channeling blood into the ventricle via the flow channel creating ribs or ridges. This enables or facilitates a changed or altered angle of flow or vector, assisting the initiation of vortex (i.e., spin) as blood flows off the leaflets and drains into the ventricle. By implanting the flow vectoring member, the normal intracardiac blood flow pattern that is disrupted by pathology or defect and unhealthy ventricular geometry can be restored and geometric distortion repaired via transduction or re-purposed native energy. This energy and force is delivered by the tether or shaft to therapeutic apical base plate and then into the ventricle and its structures thus restoring the valvulo-ventricular relationship and it's critical ventricular and septal wall interaction by contact.
An axial adjustment assembly optimizes atrial vectored outflow and ventricular vectored inflow as well as transducted forces of the atrioventricular pressure gradient by adjusting the intra-cardiac position of the flow vectoring member and harnessing the pressure differential and native forces by increasing or decreasing the exposed area, meaning in contact, of the implant. In some embodiments, longitudinal (axial) control is provided by a piston assembly attached to the tether or shaft. The piston acts to move the implant attached to the distal end of the tether or shaft, by moving the tether or shaft up or down, which facilitates the increased or decreased capture, harness, and transfer of energy and force (i.e., energy and force generated by a pressure differential between ventricle and atrium) and the valvulo-ventricular interaction of the valve components themselves to the apex, septal, and/or ventricular walls via transduction. This is achieved via or through the therapeutic apical base plate by increasing or decreasing the exposed surface area of the implant (by moving the implant up and/or down) to increase or decrease the amount of energy and force captured, harnessed, and transducted or moved. The piston acts to increase or decrease a force (e.g. cinching force) applied by an attached device or component within the heart as it moves axially or up & down.
In one embodiment, the member is an inflatable member, balloon, or paddle with flow channeling ribs or ridges. The paddle includes an internal cavity for filing with inflating liquid. Such fluid is passively redirected up and down in the flow vectoring member by cardiac contractions.
As illustrated in
The member 110 is illustrated in greater detail in
With reference to
As illustrated in
With reference to
As illustrated in
Adjustment assembly 800 includes a piston 802 contained inside a sealed fluid-filled housing 804. The housing 804 is positioned within or attached to apical/ventricular base plate 302. The piston 802 is attached to shaft 200 and is in fluid contact with subcutaneous control unit 600. Controlling fluid pressure on the piston 802 within the housing 804 enables controlled longitudinal movement or shaft length change (lengthening or shortening), which thereby raises or lowers (shortens or lengthens the distance between the attached distal device or component on one end and the apical/ventricular base plate 302 on the other end of the shaft 200) to affect the restoration and/or formation of an intracardiac vortex or to influence collection, compounding, and/or adjusting of the force and/or amount of the atrioventricular pressure gradient being collected, transducted, shifted, or moved for the specific purpose of therapeutically altering, replacing or augmenting the valvuo-ventricular interaction, the relationship, and the therapeutic interaction with the ventricular structures.
In some embodiments, piston 802 includes a sealing member 830 for maintaining a fluid seal between the piston 802 and the interior wall of the housing 804. Shaft 200 includes a plurality of lumens. For example, shaft 200 includes lumen 820 defining a distal opening 808 above piston 802, and a lumen 822 defining a proximal opening 810 below piston 802. Lumens 820 and 822 are in fluid contact with a subcutaneous control unit 600 accessible via fluid delivering needle to activate contained chambers 604 and 606.
The longitudinal adjustment, e.g., upward (arrow U) and downward (arrow D) along longitudinal axis 130, is produced changing the relative pressure between housing chambers 816, 818, located on either side of the piston 802. For example, adding fluid to the distal chamber 816 via opening 808 would cause the piston 1802 to be moved downward (arrow D), thereby lowering the device, e.g., member 110, attached to the shaft 200 (e.g., shortening the distance between the attached device on one end and the apical/ventricular base plate 302 on the other end of the shaft 200). Adding fluid to the proximal chamber 818 via opening 810, located below the piston 802, causes the piston to be moved upward (arrow U), thereby raising the device attached to the shaft 200 (e.g., lengthening the distance between the attached device on one end and the apical/ventricular base plate 302 on the other end of the shaft 200).
Moving the device or component attached to shaft 200 in a longitudinal manner, either up or down, changes position of the member or distal attachment along the line of coaptation to either change a flow vector or increase or decrease the amount of atrioventricular pressure gradient energy and force collected by increasing or decreasing the amount of exposed surface area of the implant by the moved shaft 200 attached to the distal device or component. Once the desired longitudinal adjustment has been achieved, locking stability is achieved by filling the opposite chamber 816, 818 to equalize the pressure in the two opposite chambers 816, 818 and hence hydraulically lock the piston 802, being fixed to the shaft 200, in place.
The housing 804 can be provided with a ball joint member 812 moveable with respect to a base 304 fixed to apical base plate assembly 300 that allows for pivotal movement (arrow P) of an attached device, with the hydraulically adjustable piston 802 allowing for longitudinal (upward/downward) adjustment all within the confines of the human heart. A biasing member, such as a spring (not shown), may be incorporated into the ball joint structure to bias the shaft 200 in an upright orientation, but allow lateral (e.g., pivotal) motion of the shaft.
Pivotal adjustment occurs as the housing 804 connected to base 304 via the ‘ball joint’ component 812 settles into a position determined by the native forces exerted by the human heart on the shaft-attached device. The distal chamber 816 and proximal chamber 818 may be in fluid contact with the distal and proximal surfaces of the piston 802, and thereby provide a resistive force to the piston 802, to control upward and downward movement. In some embodiments, the adjustment assembly includes a plurality of pistons, disposed inside a single housing, or a plurality of housings provided, such that each piston is disposed inside a housing.
Another embodiment of the implant system 100 is illustrated in
The implant device can be used to position an implant or distal attachment in, above, or below a valve orifice or between valve leaflet to effect the vector at which blood flows through the valve orifice and/or flows off of the native or prosthetic valve leaflets and/or preserve or enhance the atrioventricular pressure gradient. The piston is operative to move a structure, component, or device (such as implant 110) in, above, or below a valve orifice or between valve leaflet to effect, change, or amplify a native or prosthetic force applied to a native or prosthetic structure, a native or prosthetic component, or prosthetic device.
It will be appreciated that the methods and systems described above are set forth by way of example and not of limitation. Numerous variations, additions, omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, while particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure and are intended to form a part of the disclosure as defined by the following claims, which are to be interpreted in the broadest sense allowable by law.
This application claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 62/509,976 and 62/509,905 filed May 23, 2017, which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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