US Patent 11364117 Braid connections for prosthetic heart valves

A prosthetic heart valve may include a stent, a valve assembly, a flange, and a plurality of coupling tubes. The stent may have a collapsed condition, an expanded condition, and a plurality of cells arranged in circumferential rows, the stent having a longitudinal axis, an inflow end and an outflow end. The valve assembly may be disposed within the stent. The flange may comprise a plurality of braided wires and may have a flared portion. The plurality of coupling tubes may couple the flange to the stent so that the flared portion is adjacent the inflow end of the stent. Each of the coupling tubes may have a first end receiving corresponding ones of the braided wires and a second end coupled to a corresponding portion of the stent.