referring first to fig1 , a device 10 for supporting a heart valve in a patient is shown . in the illustrated example , the left ventricle 12 of a patient &# 39 ; s heart is shown in cross section with a mitral valve 14 for supplying blood into the ventricle 12 . mitral valve 14 includes an annulus 16 generally lying in a plane and a plurality of native chordae tendonae or chords 18 , 20 respectively connected with a pair of valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b at one end and papillary muscles 24 , 26 at an opposite end . in a normally functioning heart , chords 18 , 20 support the anterior valve leaflet 22 a and posterior valve leaflet 22 b between open ( diastolic ) and closed ( systolic ) positions to selectively allow and prevent blood flow into and out of left ventricle 12 . blood enters left ventricle 12 through mitral valve 14 and is expelled during the subsequent contraction of the heart muscle through aortic valve 28 . it will be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to heart valves other than the mitral valve in various of its aspects to be described below . device 10 more particularly includes a support member 30 configured for attachment to the heart valve annulus 16 and a post 32 extending from support member 30 and configured to extend away from the plane of annulus 16 . a connector which , in this embodiment , is in the form of at least one flexible tensile member , is coupled with post 32 and configured for attachment to at least one of the anterior and posterior leaflets 22 a , 22 b . in this embodiment of the invention , post 32 is a hollow , j - shaped member having a longer section 32 a and a shorter curved section 32 b . also , post 32 may be hollow as shown with flexible tensile members 34 extending through the post and exiting at shorter section 32 b . flexible tensile members 34 may include suture needles for affixing the tensile members to the edges of the anterior and posterior valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b as described below . other connectors suitable for directly or indirectly coupling post 32 or a post of different configuration to the anterior and posterior valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b may be utilized as well and some variations are described herein below . as shown in fig2 , flexible tensile members 34 may completely substitute for one set of chordae tendonae 18 ( fig1 ) or , as an alternative , one or more defective chords , such as a lengthened chord 18 a ( fig1 ), may be replaced with an artificial chord or flexible tensile member in accordance with the invention . as shown in fig2 , all of the native chords 18 of the patient have been removed and device 10 has been affixed by suturing ring - shaped support 30 to valve annulus 16 using stitches ( not shown ) and by affixing flexible tensile members or artificial chords 34 to anterior and posterior leaflets 22 a , 22 b . as further shown in fig2 and 24 post 32 can extend along posterior outer wall 12 a of the heart 12 . flexible tensile members 34 may be affixed to mating edges of anterior and posterior valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b by being stitched thereto as shown in fig3 using suitable pads or suture supports 40 , 42 . it will be appreciated that the remaining native chords and other artificial chords have been omitted in fig3 for clarity . a crimp member 44 is also shown in fig3 for fixing flexible tensile members 34 at the desired length . that is , after chords 34 have been affixed to anterior and posterior valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b as shown in fig3 , the distance between the lower free margins or edges of leaflets 22 a , 22 b and section 32 b of post 32 may be adjusted to ensure effective coaptation or mating of the anterior and posterior valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b in their closed systolic configuration . when this is achieved , crimp member 44 is crimped onto flexible tensile members 34 to retain flexible tensile members 34 at this distance and maintain the effective coaptation . ring - shaped support member 30 may be comprised of two integrated sections with one being a generally curvilinear section 30 a for courling adjacent to the posterior leaflet 22 b and one being a straight section 30 b for courling adjacent to the anterior leaflet 22 a as is the case with certain conventional annuloplasty rings . fig4 , 5 and 6 illustrate the hollow nature of the support post and the use of a number of flexible tensile members or artificial chords 34 , depending on the patient &# 39 ; s needs . fig7 illustrates a device 50 constructed in accordance with one alternative embodiment . in this embodiment , a valve annulus support member 52 is again shown as a ring - shaped member and a post 54 extends away from ring - shaped support member 52 . post 54 includes at least one chord gripping member 56 comprised of a pair of jaws 56 a , 56 b . in this embodiment , a second chord gripping member 58 is shown also comprising a pair of jaws 58 a , 58 b . gripping member 56 is shown as gripping anterior native chords of the patient , while gripping member 58 is shown to grip posterior native chords of the patient . the purpose of device 10 is to retain the use of the patient &# 39 ; s native chords 18 , but to more fully restore their function . in cases in which a patient &# 39 ; s heart is ischemic , there may be stretched or lengthened chords , such as chord 18 a shown in fig1 . in this case , device 50 and , more particularly , gripping members 56 , 58 may be used to capture chords 18 and place them under suitable tension mimicking their natural , normal condition to provide full support to valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b . fig7 a illustrates an alternative embodiment similar to fig7 , but having a annulus support portion 52 ′ which is not ring - shaped , but nevertheless provides suitable support when attached to a valve annulus for supporting post 54 . it will be appreciated that , while this embodiment is especially suitable for use on a patient &# 39 ; s native chords , similar chord gripping members may be used to capture artificial chords , such as sutures or gortex fibers , connected with the valve leaflet edges as previously described . jaws 56 a , 56 b and 58 a , 58 b may be formed in any suitable manner and may operate between open and closed positions also in any suitable manner . fig8 – 14 illustrate several different illustrative examples of mechanisms for opening and closing the jaws of a gripping member suitable for use in the embodiments of fig7 and 7a . fig8 illustrates a gripping member 70 comprised of jaws 72 , 74 connected with a post 76 by respective shape memory rods 78 , 80 . when electric current or heat is applied to rods 78 , 80 , jaws 72 , 74 move together into a clamped or closed position . in fig9 , gripping structure 90 is shown as comprising a pair of hinged jaws 92 , 94 operable by a cam member 96 and an actuating wire 98 contained within a post 100 . when wire 98 is pulled and fixed , cam member 96 will cam jaws 92 , 94 into closed or clamped positions on the patient &# 39 ; s native or artificial chords . fig1 illustrates a chord gripping member 110 comprised of first and second jaws 112 , 114 pivotally connected together by a series of links 116 and operable between open and closed positions by a wire 118 contained within a post 120 . when wire 118 is pulled in the direction of arrow 122 , and fixed , links 116 will move jaws 112 , 114 to the closed position . fig1 illustrates a chord gripping member 130 comprising a pair of jaws 132 , 134 hingedly connected together and contained within an actuating member 136 fixed within a post 138 . when wire 140 is pulled in the direction of arrow 142 , jaws 132 , 134 will be forced by actuating member 136 into their closed and clamped position . wire 140 may then be fixed in this position by any suitable means . fig1 illustrates another alternative gripping member 150 comprised of first and second jaws 152 , 154 hingedly connected together and pivotally secured to a hollow post 156 . a wire 158 is connected to the ends of jaws 152 , 154 and when pulled in the direction of arrow 160 jaws 152 , 154 will be actuated to their closed and clamped positions . again , wire 158 may be fixed in any suitable manner once gripping member 150 is in the closed and clamped position . fig1 illustrates a gripping member 170 comprised of a movable jaw 172 hingedly or flexibly connected with a post 174 and operable by a wire or movable actuating member 176 . an outer end of jaw 172 is retained against a cam surface 178 of actuating member 176 . when actuating member 176 is pulled in the direction of arrow 180 , jaw 172 will be forced to close against member 176 and clamp the native or artificial chords therebetween . actuating member 176 may be fixed in any suitable manner at this position . fig1 illustrates another alternative clamping member 190 comprised of a movable jaw 192 hingedly or flexibly connected with a post 194 and operable between open and closed positions by an actuating member or wire 196 which slides with respect to a stationary jaw 198 . movable jaw 192 has one end retained against a cam surface 200 . when actuating member or wire 196 is pulled in the direction of arrow 202 , jaw 192 will be forced to a closed and clamped position against jaw 198 by way of the camming action of surface 200 . wire or actuating member 196 may be fixed at this position by any suitable means . fig1 illustrates another alternative valve support 210 constructed in accordance with the invention . in this embodiment , valve support 210 may be used as a support for a replacement heart valve 212 , which may be formed from artificial or biological material . valve support device 210 more specifically comprises a pair of ring - shaped support members 214 , 216 with ring support member 214 being connected with the annulus of valve 212 . ring - shaped support member 216 is connected to support member 214 in spaced relation by a series of posts 218 , 220 , 222 , 224 . this structure supports a series of flexible tensile members , or artificial chords 226 , 228 , 230 , 232 connected to the edges of valve leaflets 234 , 236 in a suitable manner , such as in the manner described with respect to the first embodiment . fig1 illustrates another alternative valve support device 250 including a ring - shaped support member 252 configured to be connected with the annulus of a heart valve 254 and including a post 256 connected therewith . in this embodiment , post 256 includes a section 258 extending inwardly toward the center of heart valve 254 . this spaces post 256 away from any potentially harmful contact with the inner wall of the heart muscle . a series of flexible tensile members or artificial chords 260 , 262 , 264 , 266 extend outwardly from post 258 and include respective grippers 268 , 270 , 272 , 274 . grippers 268 , 270 , 272 , 274 may be used as alternatives to directly stitching these artificial chords to the valve leaflets . instead , these grippers may simply be clamped onto the edges of the valve leaflets to provide the same function as the attachment shown and described with respect to fig3 , for example . fig1 illustrates another alternative valve support device 280 comprised of a ring - shaped support member 282 fixed to a heart valve 284 in any suitable manner and including a post 286 . post 286 is preferably rigidly secured to ring - shaped support member 282 and extends through the center thereof so as to be configured to extend between the valve leaflets 288 , 290 . post 286 is connected with or integrally includes a chord supporting portion 292 at an opposite end and , as with the other embodiments , flexible tensile members or artificial chords 294 , 296 are connected between support portion 292 and valve leaflets 288 , 290 . fig1 illustrates an alternative valve support device 300 comprised of a ring - shaped support member 302 and preferably a pair of posts 304 , 306 . ring - shaped support member 302 is configured to be affixed to the annulus of a heart valve , as with various other embodiments of this invention , while posts 304 , 306 are configured to prevent outward billowing of the heart valve leaflets . for this purpose , posts 304 , 306 may be slightly curved , as shown , in an outward direction with respect to the heart valve beneath . fig1 illustrates a device for setting the distance between the annulus of the mitral heart valve and the patient &# 39 ; s papillary muscles . in particular , device 300 comprises a ring - shaped support member 302 configured to be sutured or otherwise affixed to the annulus of the heart valve and a pair of flexible tensile members 304 , 306 , which may be sutures , connected between the respective papillary muscles 308 , 310 of the patient and the ring - shaped support member 302 . in this embodiment , to facilitate connection with ring - shaped support member 302 , tensile members 304 , 306 are slidably retained on crimp members 312 , 314 while the length or distance between papillary muscles 308 , 310 and ring - shaped support member 302 is set . crimp members 312 , 314 may then be forced into respective holes 316 , 318 and thereby crimped to tensile members 304 , 306 to simultaneously affix crimp members 312 , 314 to ring - shaped support member 302 and to the corresponding tensile member 304 , 306 . fig2 illustrates an alternative device 300 ′ for setting the distance between a ring - shaped support member 302 ′ and the respective papillary muscles 308 , 310 . in fig2 , reference numerals with prime (′) marks indicate subject matter similar to the corresponding reference numerals in fig1 , while like numerals indicate like elements between these figures . device 300 ′ includes a ring - shaped support member 302 ′ configured to be connected to a heart valve annulus and including two connectors 320 , 322 that affix tensile members 304 , 306 to ring - shaped support members 302 ′ after ring - shaped support member 302 ′ has been affixed to a heart valve annulus , a surgeon stitches flexible tensile members 304 , 306 to papillary muscles 308 , 310 and after adjusting the distance properly between papillary muscles 308 , 310 and ring - shaped support member 302 ′, affixes tensile members 304 , 306 to connectors 320 , 322 . these connectors 320 , 322 may include slots 320 a , 322 a which allow flexible tensile members 304 , 306 to become wedged and retained therein . fig2 illustrates a mitral heart valve 330 comprised of respective anterior and posterior leaflets 332 , 334 that engage one another at an area of coaptation 336 defining a selectively opened and closed portion of the valve 330 . valve 330 has a malformation , however , in the form of a gap 338 that is typically the result of an ischemic condition , as discussed in the background , which pulls one portion or leaflet 334 of the mitral valve 330 away from the other leaflet 332 . fig2 , 22 a and 23 illustrate a valve support device 350 for correcting valve malformations such as that shown in fig2 . these devices are especially useful for treating ischemic conditions in which one side of the mitral valve pulls away from another side resulting in imperfect coaptation of the resrective anterior and posterior valve leaflets 332 , 334 . specifically , device 350 is in the form of a ring - shaped support member 352 having a selectively adjustable and lockable portion 354 . as shown best in fig2 , ring - shaped support member 352 may be reformed into the shape shown in phantom and retained in that shape . alternatively , device 350 may be formed with a permanent asymmetric shape about both axes x , y . as shown in fig2 , a first or major axis “ x ” extends along the maximum dimension of the support member 352 , while a second or minor axis “ y ” bisects the support member 352 along the “ x ” axis . the major axis “ x ” generally divides an anterior section 352 a from a posterior section 352 b of support member 352 . the intersection of the “ x ” and “ y ” axes defines a valve flow axis 353 extending normal to major axis “ x ” and minor axis “ y .” as shown in fig2 , the ability to squeeze portion 354 of ring - shaped support member 352 together and retain portion 354 in that position will bring the anterior and posterior valve leaflets 332 , 334 together to close gap 338 . fig2 a illustrates one manner of allowing selectively adjustable and lockable positioning of ring - shaped support member 352 . in this regard , respective socket segments 354 a , 354 b , 354 c receive balls 356 therebetween and further receive a wire 358 which may be tensioned and locked in place with a set screw 360 by use of a tool 362 . when wire 358 and socketed segments 354 a – d and balls 356 are loosened , adjustability of section 354 is possible . once the adjustment in position is made , wire 358 is tensioned to bring the balls and sockets together and then lock in place using tool 362 . this retains the adjusted shape . as also shown in fig2 and 23 , support member 352 in this embodiment is a ring shaped member that is substantially “ d ” shaped when viewed in a direction parallel to the valve - flow axis 353 ( that is , in top view or bottom view ). the anterior section 352 a is configured to form a substantially straight portion of the “ d ”- shape with first and second ends at opposite ends of the straight portion , and the posterior section 352 b is configured to form a substantially arcuate portion of the “ d ”- shape . fig2 illustrates another alternative device 370 for supporting a mitral valve 372 . device 370 again comprises a valve support member 374 adapted to be connected with the valve annulus 376 , such as by suturing or other mechanical fastening means . a post 378 and flexible tensile members 380 are connected with support member 374 as described generally above in fig2 to support anterior valve leaflet 382 and posterior valve leaflet 384 . in this embodiment , one portion 374 a of valve support member 374 may be bent out of the plane containing another portion 374 b and retained in that position to fix the mitral valve 372 in a desired position . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , a posterior segment 374 b overlying posterior leaflet 384 is bent downwards relative to an anterior segment 374 a overlying anterior leaflet 382 . any suitable manner of retaining the adjusted shape may be used , including the manner described with respect to fig2 a . alternatively , device 370 may be permanently formed with a nonplanar shape , such as the shape shown in fig2 . it will be appreciated from a review of fig2 , 22 and 24 that the view of fig2 and 24 , for example , is taken with the anterior portion 376 a of the valve annulus 376 and anterior segment 374 a being on the left , and with the posterior portion 376 b of the valve annulus 376 and posterior segment 374 b being on the right . therefore , the view of fig2 is in a direction generally parallel to the major axis “ x .” the mitral valve annulus 376 will assume the shape of the attached device 370 . that is , the posterior portion 376 b of the annulus 376 will be moved and fixed into a non - planar configuration , i . e ., out of the natural position of the posterior valve annulus 376 b . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , the posterior portion 376 b of annulus 376 is moved downward relative to the anterior portion 376 a of annulus 376 . the modified shape shown in phantom in fig2 may also be combined with the modified shape shown in fig2 for ring - shaped support member 374 . fig2 illustrates another alternative valve support device 390 incorporating a replacement heart valve 392 with the support structure including a post 394 and a plurality of flexible tensile members or sutures 396 extending from an end 394 a of post 394 and edges of three leaflets 398 , 400 , 402 associated with valve 392 . flexible tensile members 396 are preferably distributed evenly along the edges of leaflets 398 , 400 , 402 to support the leaflets during operation with proper coaptation or mating of the adjacent leaflet surfaces . flexible tensile members 396 also reduce stress on commisures 393 . fig2 illustrates a cross sectional view of a somewhat modified form 390 ′ of support device 390 having a catheter inserted between the valve leaflets 398 , 400 , 402 . in this embodiment , flexible tensile members 396 prevent leaflets 398 , 400 , 402 from opening and closing against catheter 410 with excessive force . this is in addition to stress reduction on commisures 393 . such force may be harmful to valve 392 . catheter 410 may be support within valve 392 by suitable struts or other support members 412 , 414 . fig2 illustrates another alternative device in the form of a ring - shaped valve support member 422 configured to be affixed to the annulus 424 of a heart valve . device 420 is used to set the distance between the ring - shaped support member 422 and the papillary muscles 425 , 427 of the patient . a pair of posts 426 , 428 extend generally in a radially inward direction from ring - shaped support member 422 and are directed through the center of the valve between leaflets 429 , 431 and down along the patient &# 39 ; s native chords 433 , 435 . posts 426 , 428 are affixed to the patient &# 39 ; s papillary muscles 425 , 427 at the desired location . this suitable fixes the location of chords 433 , 435 and allows the surgeon to use any of the other valve support devices contemplated by this invention to facilitate supporting the leaflets 429 , 431 for proper coaptation . once the appropriate valve support device or devices are in place to properly support leaflets 429 , 431 , device 420 , or at least posts 426 , 428 , may be removed . fig2 illustrates another alternative valve support device 440 comprised of a ring - shaped support member 442 configured for attachment to the annulus of a heart valve and a post 444 connected to support member 442 and including an annular or loop - shaped end 446 . as with previous embodiments of the invention , one or more flexible tensile members or artificial chords may be affixed to end portion 446 and connected at an opposite end to one or more valve leaflets ( not shown ). post 444 , and especially loop - shaped end portion 446 , provides a resilient structure for bearing against the internal wall of the heart muscle . at least end portion 446 can flex in a resilient fashion toward ring - shaped support member 442 as the heart muscle contracts and moves . this reduces the likelihood of injury to the heart muscle and provides an artificial chord support that more naturally mimics the operation of a papillary muscle . fig2 illustrates an alternative valve support device 440 ′, which may be configured similarly to valve support device 440 , except that post 444 is connected to ring - shaped support member 442 by an adjustable and lockable connection 450 . this allows adjustment in the direction or arrows 452 , 454 . after the appropriate adjustment is made , post 444 may be locked in the desired position with a set screw 456 tightened against ring - shaped support member 442 . a slot 450 a also allows post 444 to be completely removed from support member 442 . fig3 illustrates a valve support device 460 similar to device 440 , but having a support member 462 which is not ring - shaped and having a post 464 with first and second loop - shaped end portions 466 , 468 . one or more flexible tensile members 470 , 472 may be retained on post 464 and loop - shaped end portions 466 , 468 by suitable rings 474 , 476 allowing length adjustment of flexible tensile members 470 , 472 . flexible tensile members 470 , 472 may extend upwardly past support member 462 and may be tied thereto after length adjustment is made . fig3 illustrates a valve support device 480 comprising separate support members 482 , 484 affixed to opposite sides of a heart valve annulus 486 . a post 488 connects support members 482 , 484 together thereby affixing the position of these opposite portions of heart valve annulus 486 with respect to one another . this may be used to pull two valve leaflets 490 , 492 together . also , device 480 may be used to remodel the shape of annulus 486 . fig3 is a valve support device 500 constructed in a similar manner to support device 480 , but allowing further adjustability . specifically , first and second valve annulus support members 502 , 504 are respectively connected to opposite sides of a heart valve annulus 506 . at least one and preferably two telescopically adjustable posts 508 , 510 connect support members 502 , 504 together . in the configuration shown , one or both posts 508 , 510 may be adjusted in length depending on the particular malformation or abnormality of leaflets 512 , 514 . once adjusted to the appropriate length by the surgeon , telescopic posts 508 , 510 may be fixed at the desired length by any suitable means . fig3 illustrates another alternative valve support device 520 comprised of a ring - shaped support member 522 configured to be connected with a heart valve annulus 524 and a post 526 generally constructed with a j - shape as in certain previous embodiments . in this embodiment , however , post 526 connects directly with valve leaflets 528 , 530 by way one or more spiral coil connectors 532 , 534 extending outwardly from post 526 . as the surgeon pushes these wires 532 , 534 from post 526 , they will form the coiled shape shown in the figure and simultaneously be directed through leaflets 528 , 530 to connect these leaflets at a central location . fig3 a illustrates another valve support device 540 similar to device 520 but utilizing separate valve support members 542 , 544 in place of a ring - shaped support member and further including a centralized post structure 546 comprised of post members 546 a and 546 b . again , the surgeon will install this device by affixing support members 542 , 544 to the heart valve annulus 524 and then as coiled wire connectors 548 , 550 are pushed through post portion 546 b , they will simultaneously be coiled and directed through valve leaflets 552 , 554 to connect central portions thereof together . while the present invention has been illustrated by a description of preferred embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in some detail , it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail . additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art . the various features and concepts of the invention may be used alone or in numerous combinations depending on the needs and preferences of the user . this has been a description of the present invention , along with the preferred methods of practicing the present invention as currently known . however , the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims , wherein we claim :
valve repair apparatus and methods for ensuring proper coaptation and operation of the leaflets of a heart valve . main aspects of the disclosure relate to devices including a support member configured for attachment to the heart valve annulus , a post extending from the support member away from the plane of the annulus and a connector coupled with the post and configured for attachment to at least one of the leaflets . the various embodiments may include a replacement heart valve connected with the support member for facilitating full replacement as opposed to near repair of an existing native heart valve . various other devices include support structure and one or more posts connected to opposite sides of the support structure and extending from one side of the valve annulus to another to modify the shape of the annulus .