# Curved Bistable Origami‐Inspired Flexible Transcatheter Mitral Valve Clamping

## TL;DR

A curved origami-inspired device is developed for minimally invasive mitral valve clamping, offering compact delivery, precise deployment, and stability.

## Contribution

A bistable curved origami structure is engineered for transcatheter mitral valve clamping with tailored mechanical properties.

## Key findings

- The curved origami dilator remains compact during delivery and self-deploys at the target site.
- Bistability is preserved through geometric parameters that control radial support stiffness.
- In vitro experiments confirm the device's stability and reliable deployment in a simulated valve environment.

## Abstract

Curved origami exhibits remarkable potential for minimally invasive medical applications owing to its unique geometric programmability and mechanical tunability. Building on this concept, a curved origami with bistable mechanical behavior is proposed, specifically engineered for transcatheter mitral valve clamping surgery. Benefiting from its bistable characteristics, the curved origami structure enables three key functions: it remains compactly folded during catheter delivery, self‐deploys rapidly and precisely at the target site, and maintains a stable, fully expanded configuration during device retrieval. The equivalent stiffness of the curved origami mechanism is tuned through geometric nonlinearity, ensuring that its critical transition load closely simulates the catheter‐based delivery conditions. Theoretical analysis and experimental validation confirm that bistability is effectively preserved, while parameters such as initial curvature, thickness, crease curvature, and segment length can be adjusted to precisely tailor the radial support stiffness, meeting the mechanical requirements for resisting mitral valve contraction forces. In vitro experiments further verify the dilator's exceptional stability and fully reliable deployment within a simulated mitral valve environment. This work advances the engineering application of curved origami mechanics in minimally invasive medical treatments, offering both theoretical insights and promising potential for clinical translation.

A lightweight bistable curved origami dilator combines reversible deformation and high stability, offering a promising solution for minimally invasive mitral valve repair.