A New Heart Valve That Replaces Old Ones Without Open Surgery
This patent describes a prosthetic heart valve that can be inserted without major surgery, using an expandable support and special arms to hold it in place within the heart.
Original patent title: “Prosthetic heart valve devices and associated systems and methods”
This patent describes a prosthetic heart valve that can be inserted without major surgery, using an expandable support and special arms to hold it in place within the heart. Granted in 2026.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This technology describes a prosthetic heart valve designed for percutaneous replacement, meaning it's inserted through a small incision rather than open-heart surgery. The device includes an expandable support that fits between the natural valve's leaflets. Crucially, it features multiple asymmetrically arranged arms. These arms are designed to securely hold the native valve's leaflets between themselves and the outer surface of the expandable support. Some versions of these arms also have tip portions that engage the subannular surface of the native valve, providing extra stability.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover heart valve replacements requiring traditional open-heart surgery, as it specifically focuses on percutaneous methods.
- Does not cover prosthetic valves that lack asymmetrically arranged arms for securing native valve leaflets.
- Does not cover devices that do not engage the subannular surface of the native valve with tip portions, if that specific engagement is absent.
- Does not cover prosthetic valves that are not expandable or do not use an expandable support structure.
- Does not cover non-valve cardiac implants, such as stents for arteries or pacemakers.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in the specific design for securing the new valve: using asymmetrically arranged arms that grip the native valve's leaflets and tip portions that engage the subannular surface. This combination provides a stable fit for a percutaneously delivered valve, which is a significant engineering challenge.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) devices
Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement (TMVR) devices
Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valves
Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter heart valves
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Replacing a damaged heart valve is a critical medical procedure, and traditional open-heart surgery carries significant risks and recovery times. This patent focuses on less invasive, percutaneous methods, which can offer patients quicker recovery, fewer complications, and broader access to life-saving treatments. Such innovations are vital for improving patient outcomes and expanding the treatable population for heart valve diseases.
Filed
July 2, 2023
Granted
September 15, 2026
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Major medical device companies like Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Abbott Laboratories are actively developing and refining transcatheter heart valve technologies. These companies continually innovate to improve valve durability, delivery systems, and patient outcomes for percutaneous heart valve replacement.
Market impact
The development of percutaneous heart valve replacement technologies has dramatically expanded treatment options for patients, particularly those considered high-risk for open-heart surgery. This has created a rapidly growing market segment within cardiovascular devices, driving significant investment in research and development and fostering competition among leading medical technology firms to offer less invasive solutions.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This technology describes a prosthetic heart valve designed for percutaneous replacement, meaning it's inserted through a small incision rather than open-heart surgery. The device includes an expandable support that fits between the natural valve's leaflets. Crucially, it features multiple asymmetrically arranged arms. These arms are designed to securely hold the native valve's leaflets between themselves and the outer surface of the expandable support. Some versions of these arms also have tip portions that engage the subannular surface of the native valve, providing extra stability.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in the specific design for securing the new valve: using asymmetrically arranged arms that grip the native valve's leaflets and tip portions that engage the subannular surface. This combination provides a stable fit for a percutaneously delivered valve, which is a significant engineering challenge.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover heart valve replacements requiring traditional open-heart surgery, as it specifically focuses on percutaneous methods.
- Does not cover prosthetic valves that lack asymmetrically arranged arms for securing native valve leaflets.
- Does not cover devices that do not engage the subannular surface of the native valve with tip portions, if that specific engagement is absent.
- Does not cover prosthetic valves that are not expandable or do not use an expandable support structure.
- Does not cover non-valve cardiac implants, such as stents for arteries or pacemakers.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
0/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$26K – $84K
Midpoint $53K · 16.7 yr remaining · industry ×2.2
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
Concepts involved
Cite this patent
(2026). A New Heart Valve That Replaces Old Ones Without Open Surgery (U.S. Patent No. 12,734,030). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12734030/prosthetic-heart-valve-devices-and-associated-systems-and-methods
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does A New Heart Valve That Replaces Old Ones Without Open Surgery cover?
This patent describes a prosthetic heart valve that can be inserted without major surgery, using an expandable support and special arms to hold it in place within the heart.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on September 15, 2046, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
Replacing a damaged heart valve is a critical medical procedure, and traditional open-heart surgery carries significant risks and recovery times. This patent focuses on less invasive, percutaneous methods, which can offer patients quicker recovery, fewer complications, and broader access to life-saving treatments. Such innovations are vital for improving patient outcomes and expanding the treatable population for heart valve diseases.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover heart valve replacements requiring traditional open-heart surgery, as it specifically focuses on percutaneous methods.
Patent monitoring