Heart valve regurgitation is reduced by sizing a coapting element to provide a gap between the coapting element and a heart valve when the heart is in a diastolic phase. The size of the coapting element is also selected such that the heart valve seals against the coapting element when the heart is in the systolic phase. The coapting element allows flow through the coapting element when the heart is in a diastolic phase and prevents flow through the coapting element when the heart is in a systolic phase.