A flexible radiopaque protrusion for revealing the location of the shrinkage cord or annular ring prior to installation on the heart valve ring

摘要

The cord 82 may be attached to the ring or adjacent tissue using an anchor 75 distributed around the cord to secure each region of the cord to the ring or adjacent tissue. The anchor launcher 74 (supported by the support arm) fires the anchor and embeds it in the ring or adjacent tissue. The flexible radiopaque protrusions 160 project radially beyond the anchor launcher. The gradual advancement of the anchor launcher in the distal direction beyond the point at which the protrusion contacts the annulus or adjacent tissue causes gradual deflection of the protrusion. This deflection can be visualized using fluoroscopy to ensure that the code is correctly positioned before the anchor is fired. Some embodiments use an open loop of code, in which case the code can then be used to shrink the loop. Another embodiment uses a closed loop of code to prevent the expansion of the loop.