Patent ID: 7374571

Claim:
A method of prosthetic heart valve implantation at an aortic annulus, comprising: delivering a rolled prosthetic heart valve to an aortic annulus, the prosthetic heart valve including a stent body having a spirally-wound contracted, first configuration with a first diameter configured for advancement to the aortic annulus and an unwound expanded, second configuration with a maximum second diameter, the prosthetic heart valve further including three flexible membranes attached to the stent body that form heart valve leaflets in the expanded configuration and portions of the stent body between the leaflets defining axially extending commissures; unfurling the prosthetic heart valve from the spirally-wound contracted, first configuration to the unwound expanded, second configuration at the aortic annulus; and positioning the prosthetic heart valve such that the stent body commissures align with native commissures of the aortic annulus.