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 valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b between open and closed 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 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 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 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 leaflets 22 a , 22 b . flexible tensile members 34 may be affixed to mating edges of 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 valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b as shown in fig3 the distance between the lower 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 valve leaflets 22 a , 22 b . 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 curved section 30 a and one being a straight section 30 b as is the case with certain conventional annuloplasty rings . fig4 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 neverthel ss 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 gor - tex ( expanded polytetrafluoroethylene ) 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 heart valve 330 comprised of first and second leaflets 322 , 334 that engage one another at an area of coaptation 336 defining a selectively opened and closed portion of the valve . valve 330 has a malformation , however , in the form of a gap 338 that is typically the result of an ischemic condition which pulls one portion or leaflet of the valve away from the other . 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 valve pulls away from another side resulting in imperfect coaptation of the valve leaflets . 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 , the ability to squeeze portion 354 of ring - shaped support member 352 together and retain portion 354 in that position will bring 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 . fig2 illustrates another alternative device 370 for supporting a heart 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 to support valve leaflets 382 , 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 valve in a desired position . 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 . 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 :