Patent ID: 7682391

Claim:
A method of implanting a prosthetic mitral heart valve at a mitral valve annulus, the annulus featuring two spaced apart anterior trigones and defining an annular plane perpendicular to the average blood flow direction through the mitral valve, comprising: providing a prosthetic mitral heart valve having an outwardly-directed sewing ring for attaching the heart valve to the mitral valve annulus, the sewing ring having an inflow end and an outflow end, wherein the outflow end includes only two axially-raised portions relative to the remainder of the outflow end that are spaced apart so as to register with the two anterior trigones; and implanting the prosthetic mitral heart valve in the mitral valve annulus such that the two axially-raised portions are located adjacent the two anterior trigones of the annulus, wherein the prosthetic mitral heart valve includes three axially-oriented commissures extending toward the outflow direction and into the ventricle when the valve is implanted, the first two commissures being located around the heart valve at the same locations as the two axially-raised portions and a third commissure being located equidistant from the first two, wherein the two axially-raised portions tilt the prosthetic mitral heart valve at an angle with respect to the annular plane such that the third commissure angles away from the adjacent ventricular wall and reduces the chance of contact therebetween.