Patent ID: 8080054

Claim:
A method for implanting a prosthetic valve in a native heart valve, comprising: providing a delivery catheter and prosthetic valve, the delivery catheter having the prosthetic valve mounted thereon, the prosthetic valve comprising a support stent and a valve assembly, the support stent comprising an inlet portion at a stent distal end and having an inlet diameter, an outlet portion at a stent proximal end and having an outlet diameter, and a middle portion having a middle diameter, wherein the valve assembly comprises a conduit formed of pliable material, the conduit comprising a conduit inlet end having a conduit inlet end diameter, the conduit further comprising a conduit outlet end having a conduit outlet end diameter, wherein the conduit is positioned within the support stent with the conduit outlet end distal of the conduit inlet end; advancing the prosthetic valve to the native heart valve; and radially expanding the support stent in the native heart valve to thereby deploy the prosthetic valve at the native heart valve, wherein radially expanding the support stent comprising radially expanding the support stent such that the middle diameter is greater than the outlet diameter, and the middle diameter is greater than the inlet diameter, wherein the radially expanded stent supports the conduit to have an open configuration wherein fluid flow is permitted distally through the valve assembly and to have a closed configuration wherein fluid flow is blocked through the valve assembly, and when the conduit is in the open configuration the conduit outlet end is positioned radially inwardly from the interior surface of the support stent by a radial distance from 0.5 to 3 cm; wherein the valve assembly comprises collapsible slack leaflet portions, wherein the conduit of the valve assembly is secured to the support stent via a connecting membrane such that when the prosthetic valve is deployed the entirety of one or more collapsible slack leaflet portions is held away from the support stent interior surface to form an artificial sinus between the support stent interior surface and the collapsible slack leaflet portions.