US Patent Issued to EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES on Nov. 4 for "Implanting grafts to valve leaflets for cardiac procedures" (Maryland Inventors)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 6 -- United States Patent no. 12,458,498, issued on Nov. 4, was assigned to EDWARDS LIFESCIENCES Corp. (Irvine, Calif.).

"Implanting grafts to valve leaflets for cardiac procedures" was invented by Stephen Cournane (Severn, Md.), Felino V. Cortez Jr. (Bowie, Md.), Stephen Epstein (Baltimore), Luke Anthony Zanetti (Parkton, Md.) and Julie Marie Etheridge (Ellicott City, Md.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "Described herein are methods and apparatus for implanting grafts to leaflets for cardiac procedures that are performed minimally-invasively while the heart is beating. The graft elongates, reinforces, and patches the leaflet. In certain disclosed examples, the graft is se...