{
  "patent_number": "US 12734031",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Marking Heart Valve Commissures for Better Imaging",
  "original_title": "Commissure marker for a prosthetic heart valve",
  "summary": "This patent describes a method for attaching a special marker to a prosthetic heart valve that shows up on X-rays, helping doctors see the exact position of the valve's leaflets during surgery.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes a way to add a special marker to a prosthetic heart valve, based on its abstract. The marker is \"radiopaque,\" meaning it shows up clearly on X-rays or other medical scans. Specifically, the patent details attaching this marker to an \"attachment member\" that forms part of a \"commissure\" — the point where two valve leaflets meet. The marker is placed on a \"flap\" of this attachment member, hidden between the flap and the central part of the attachment. This helps doctors see the exact orientation of the valve's commissures during implantation procedures.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover markers that are not radiopaque, such as those visible only with ultrasound or MRI.",
    "Does not cover markers placed directly on the valve leaflets or frame, rather than on the commissure's attachment member.",
    "Does not cover markers that are not hidden between a flap and a central portion of an attachment member.",
    "Does not cover methods of marking commissures that do not involve a folded flap structure.",
    "Does not cover markers that are not specifically used to indicate the location of a commissure."
  ],
  "filed": "2024-01-24",
  "granted": "2026-09-15",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": null,
  "holder_url": null,
  "inventors": [],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "medical_devices",
    "biotech",
    "healthcare"
  ],
  "abstract": "Methods and systems for attaching a radiopaque marker to a prosthetic heart valve to indicate a location of a commissure of the prosthetic heart valve are disclosed. As one example, a prosthetic heart valve can include a frame, a plurality of leaflets arranged within the frame, and at least one commissure comprising an attachment member comprising a central portion and a flap extending outward from the central portion, the flap folded over a radially outward facing side of the central portion, and the attachment member arranged across a selected cell of the frame. The commissure further comprises commissure tabs of two adjacent leaflets coupled to a radially inward facing side of the central portion, and a radiopaque marker arranged on the flap of the attachment member, between the flap and the radially outward facing side of the central portion.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12734031/commissure-marker-for-a-prosthetic-heart-valve",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12734031/commissure-marker-for-a-prosthetic-heart-valve/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12734031",
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}