Patent ID: 8801779

Claim:
A prosthetic device for replacing a deficient native aortic valve, the valve assembly comprising: a collapsible and expandable annular support stent formed of a shape memory alloy and having a circular outer profile, the support stent comprising; a first portion configured to expand to a first expanded diameter, a second portion configured to expand to a second expanded diameter, the second portion being downstream from the first portion, the second expanded diameter being substantially larger than the first expanded diameter, and a central portion between the first and second portions, the central portion configured to expand to a third diameter sized to provide a radial gap between the support stent and the inner wall of the ascending aorta at the level of the openings of the coronary arteries; and a collapsible and expandable valve assembly formed of biological material, the valve assembly located entirely within an interior portion of the support stent, the valve assembly having three valve leaflets and three commissural points sutured to the support stent for supporting the three valve leaflets; wherein the first portion of the support stent is configured to contact the leaflets of the native aortic valve, the second portion of the support stent is configured to contact the inner wall of the ascending aorta at a location above the openings of the coronary arteries, and the support stent is formed with an open wall structure downstream of the valve assembly for allowing blood to pass through a wall of the support stent from the interior portion of the support stent to the openings of the coronary arteries.