Patent ID: 9439762
Filing Date: 2016-09-13
CPC Classification: A61F

Claim Text:
1. A method of implanting at a heart valve annulus a prosthetic heart valve having an inflow end and an outflow end that define a flow direction through the valve, a structural stent, and a sewing ring attached to a periphery thereof, comprising: orienting the sewing ring in a second stable orientation extending generally against the flow direction and away from the stent; attaching the sewing ring to the annulus; and re-positioning the valve with respect to the attached sewing ring so that the sewing ring is in a first stable orientation extending generally with the flow direction and substantially adjacent the stent, and the step of re-positioning includes displacing the valve with respect to the sewing ring so that the sewing ring inverts from its second orientation extending generally against the flow direction to its first orientation extending generally with the flow direction.